Marked
by LilBlackBird
Summary: Raven has been marked, claimed by the one person she wants to belong to least of all. Can a certain green-skinned friend of hers get her out of this bind? Or is she stuck with her enemy? BBRae, Flinx, Robstar. T for language, rating will probably go up later.
1. Marked

_Damn it all. He wanted her. He_ wanted _her. No, that wasn't quite it. He_ needed _her. He needed her like fish needed water, needed her like he needed air to survive. It was essential that he get her or he was liable to go insane._

 _He hated it. She was the opposite of everything he stood for. She was the opposite of everything he usually wanted. She was quite and shy and dark. She wasn't supermodel tall like her best friend, but had shapely curves nonetheless. Despite not being what he should want, she seemed to be perfect in her own way. Plum-and-gray coloring and that form-fitting outfit. She was_ lawful _and_ good _. She was everything he shouldn't want._

 _But he needed her. And, damn it all, he was going to get her._

* * *

Garfield wasn't quite sure when Raven had gotten quite so. . . _curvaceous._ Sure, he had always thought she was pretty in the way that teenage boys thought all girls were pretty. She had nice eyes and she didn't smell bad and was really nice-looking in the rare times she smiled, but now. . . She was something else entirely. She wasn't a little girl anymore, she was a woman just as much as he was a man, and his thoughts of her had long ago stopped being childish.

He was thinking of this as he walked through the mall behind her. The Titans, they had dropped the 'Teen' part a while ago, were supposed to be shopping for a formal ball the mayor had invited them to. Starfire had insisted that Raven needed a new dress, and Robin, now Nightwing, insisted that Garfield had needed a suit as well. So he strolled on behind his female teammate, waiting for his turn to be the object of this particular brand of torture and casting subtle glances at the way Raven's hips were swinging. It was tantalizing in the most fascinating way, and he had to force himself to concentrate.

Perhaps it was the way the jeans, which she so rarely wore, hugged her body that mesmerized him. Yes, he had seen her in yoga pants, leggings, and a downright _sinful_ pair of compression shorts, but there was still something to be said about a classic pair of faded jeans.

A casual smirk rested on his lips and he subconsciously twisted the holo-ring on his finger, which gave him the appearance he should have had. Golden blonde hair and dazzling eyes the same color as the shifting sea, moving from blue to green and everywhere in between. He was attractive and he knew it, and, apparently, so did the women around him.

"I wish you would stop winking at every girl you pass," Raven hissed from in front of him, not even turning her head around. He caught up to her easily, falling into stride.

"How would you even know? You can't see me," he contrasted, nudging her with his shoulder.

She glared at him. "For starters, I'm an empath," she said, glancing at him with a small, smug smile as realization settled onto his features. "Not to mention I can _hear_ _the giggles._ "

He winced at the malice in her tone, but swiftly buried it under his jokester exterior. "Awe, Rae. You _know_ that you're the only girl I'm interested in," he teased, tossing an arm around her shoulder and pulling her close.

"I'll kill you." Her face was dead serious.

"Okay, then." He took a step away, still grinning. "Don't worry, Rae-"

"It's Raven."

"-You'll warm up to the idea," he finished, ignoring her little interjection.

The rest of their mall trip went much the same, Garfield laughing and hooting at some of the things he'd convinced her to put on, as well as her giving small snickers due to his outrageous suit choices. Finally, they had both picked out something suitable to wear for the ball, and they were on their way back to the tower when their communicators began buzzing. Raven flipped hers open and they crowded around the screen to glance inside, where their leader sat staring stern-faced back at them.

"Raven, Gar, Adonis is at the lab three blocks from there making a general mess. We need you to hold it down until we get there, because you two are the closest. Think you can handle?" he asked.

Raven rolled her eyes. "We got this, Dick. Promise," she replied, snapping the communicator shut. She flicked her wrist and her uniform, an updated version of the old one, replaced her plain clothes. It was a black full-body suit, able to camouflage if need be, her cape still the same midnight blue.

"You good for shadow travel?" she questioned, glancing over at Garfield. They had learned that his animalistic body didn't much care for her brand of swift travel, but could deal with it after a bit of mental prep. He nodded, so she flicked her fingers, and a moment later they were in the aforementioned lab. She gave her companion a second to collect himself before the pair took off, following the sound of breaking beakers and tromping feet.

Raven pressed a finger to her lips as she crept around the corner, and he nodded, sliding silently behind her. They stood at either side of the doorway, and she glanced over at him. Attack patterns with Adonis was one of the only places that Garfield took point. After another heartbeat, he nodded, and they both dove through the doorway.

"Adonis!" Gar called, shifting just his hands into claws. Over the years, they had all learned how to control their powers more, honing in on little things. Although, no one had grown quite as much as Raven. "I see you're up to no good. Again," he commented, gesturing to the mess before glancing back at the man in the metal suit. It was bigger this time, and colored a deep, russet red color.

"That's what I'm good for," he responded flippantly, his eyes never straying from the violet haired beauty, whose hands and eyes were glowing and crackling with dark energy.

 _There she was, barely three yards in front of him._

"Hey, hottie. You like the new suit? It making you catch a new interest in the big man?" he asked, shooting her a swift wink. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

 _She was so close. He wanted her._

"Not on your life, Adonis," she deadpanned. Without taking her eyes from him, she swung her arm, almost casually, and an empty shelf darted across the room, slamming into his distracted form. He barely moved.

 _Just her smell alone was calling to him. He_ needed _it. Needed her._

He lunged at her, but was intercepted by a green rhinoceros crashing into him, his horn scratching a divot into the metal.

The villain's nostrils flared. "This suit is _new_ ," he growled.

 _He was in the way. Why was he there? He just wanted her._

He swung his arm around, banging it into the side of the green Titan's head, sending him to the ground in a dazed heap. "Stay out of my way," he growled, shoving the other male back as far as he could get him, which landed him sprawled against a glass wall, splintering it slightly.

 _It was just the two of them again. He liked it this way._

"So, gorgeous, are you ready to get away with me?" Adonis suggested, grinning as he took a step closer to her. "I'd _love_ to see what that mouth can-" Two metal tables crashed into him from either side, abruptly cutting off his statement.

"Shut _up,_ " she said. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Her black magic curled around his suit, immobilizing him for the moment. She planned to hold him there until the rest of the team arrived if she could, but it seemed that he would have other plans.

 _She was fiery. He liked it._

The man in the metal suit smirked at her, responding, "Oh, come on, babe, you have absolutely no interest in all this?"

 _He had her undivided attention. He was doing well._

She simply glared at him, focusing her energy. Gar still hadn't awakened from his spill into the wall, and she was their only hope at holding him. She didn't know how long she would hold out, and could only hope they would be there soon.

 _Those eyes. He loved them. He wanted to see them fill with passion as he took her for the first time. It was wrong, but he needed her. He was going crazy._

"i'm sure you're just in denial babe. I _know_ you want me."

 _He needed her to want him like he needed her. How could this only be him?_

"Be _quiet,_ Adonis," she hissed. He was splintering her carefully constructed concentration.

 _He wanted to see sweat bead on her forehead because of him in a different way, wanted to be making her hold out against something else. He needed it desperately._

"Princess, you don't need to be like that. It's just us." He hands clenched into fists. She needed him to shut up. She was getting too angry, too emotional. It was going to break her. "I'm sure you'd feel better in a bed. In _my_ bed. Where I could-"

" ** _Stop!_** " That was it. Her hold on him broke, and she couldn't seem to gather her wits before he was upon her, pressing her into the wall and dipping his head low enough to bite at the base of her throat in a way that was both rough and gentle, leaving a red mark.

"Mine." His voice was a feral growl.

 _Finally, he had marked her. She would have to be his. That was his mark, his little red splotch. She was_ his.

This little act made Raven snap, a second set of eyes appearing in her forehead and her powers lashing out of their own accord. Adonis hurtled into the wall beside the now waking Gar, but didn't stop there. She slammed him side to side, ceiling to floor, screaming curses in every language she knew. She was still pummeling him into the ground when the team arrived.

" _Raven,_ " Nightwing said, his voice surprising her enough that she snapped back into reality. She regained control of her body and shoved her anger to the back corner of her brain, her powers releasing the metal covered man. Garfield had finally come to enough for the haze to be cleared from his vision, rubbing his head. No doubt he had a concussion.

"Rae?" he croaked softly, looking up to see Starfire and Cyborg carting Adonis away and Raven being thoroughly scolded by Nightwing. For what, he didn't know, but he was sure to find out soon.

". . . supposed to have more discipline. I understand that he annoys you. But that's _not an excuse_ ," groaned Nightwing, obviously angry. Raven's fists clenched, and the lights flickered.

"It wasn't _about_ annoyance," she replied through clenched teeth.

"Than _what?_ " he challenged, his eyes looking her over as if trying to find what could anger her. Her hood slipped up over her head, and she stalked out of the room without another word. Nightwing whirled his anger on Garfield.

"You," he snapped. "What exactly were you doing? What happened?"

Gar shook his head. "I don't _know,_ dude. He didn't steal anything. He was basically just banging on stuff until we got here, then he focused all of his attention on Raven."

"Why?"

"I dunno. He's always flirted with her, especially since the, ah, beast incident," Gar replied.

"Do you think it could have something to do with that? I mean, how's _your_ beast doing?" Nightwing asked cautiously.

"Dormant, but still there," he said. He tried to focus on the primal feeling in the back of his mind, almost like a second awareness, but it seemed to be just as quiet as it had been for years. "So I seriously doubt it, but it's possible."

"But the flirting has never set her off like that before. I can't figure out what happened that made her so _angry._ " Nightwing shook his head. "She'll have to tell us about it eventually." Gar shrugged as if in agreement, and they headed out of the building, ready to go home.

* * *

Raven didn't come out of her room for at least three days. No one knew what she did or why, they were unsure if she was angry or busy. They just didn't _know_. With soundproofed walls, they couldn't spy on her, and she had magically sealed herself in so not even a fly could get inside. She hadn't eaten or been to the bathroom as far as they could see, and the Team was beginning to get worried. They had called in Roy, because he and Raven had formed a very odd yet strong friendship in their time together, and got nothing. They had even called in Jinx and Wally from their tour of Russia to see if Jinx could talk to her, or at least get the door open, but no such luck.

Unbeknownst to them, Raven had been doing research.

The mark on her neck troubled her, if only because it seemed so familiar. She had read something in a book once, something about being marked. It worried her that this was so eerily similar, and she would tear a hole in the world (again) if it meant that her suspicions wouldn't be confirmed.

Lucky for the world, they had been.

She glared at the page she had read probably a hundred times.

 ** _Marked-_**

 ** _One who has been bitten hard enough for a mark to be left on the skin. The mark will have been left by a male who feels a strong pull towards one particular female. This male is either the only of his species in the area, or is the alpha male and gets a choice on his mate. All males of a species feel a draw towards the same female, though it may lie dormant in some for longer than others. If one is marked before all males have realized the attraction, the other male still has a chance at winning the mate. He must claim the female before the one who marked her._**

Raven was _furious,_ to say in the least. Adonis, the _crude_ _, annoying, idiotic prick_ had _marked_ her? She would kill him. The book didn't say anything about killing him. It didn't say how it would affect her, but it was a risk she was willing to take. All the books had said approximately the same thing. That she was _his_. She belonged to _him._ Her body was _his_ to claim. And now her only option was _what?_ To have G-

No. She wouldn't even think of it. She wouldn't even consider the possibility of that. She was going to find a way out of this. But first, she needed to eat.

She covered the red spot on her neck as best she could with makeup. One of her books told her that it wouldn't fade until they had _mated_ , so she supposed she was stuck with it for the rest of her life. Once she had done her best, she threw on a hoodie and little cotton black shorts, she had stopped wearing her uniform at all times in exchange of comfort, and padded barefoot out into the hallway, still trying to think herself out of her problem.

Raven ignored the way all conversation, and movement, for that matter, came to a halt as she walked in the room, dutifully placing the kettle on to boil and bending to glance in the kitchen. In a way that only boys who had been friends for years could manage, the four boys leaned, each shifting to get a better view of the round butt sticking into the air. It was a good thing Jinx had gone to the bathroom, or Wally's head would have been rolling around on the floor. She straightened back up with two cold slices of pizza, and all the boys blushed and looked away, save for Garfield. For a second, something stirred inside of him, but he shut it down quickly. He didn't even know what it was, only that it felt more raw and unthinking that the rest of him. It's movement also made him realize that there was something. . . off about his teammate. Something genetically wrong.

"Rae?" he asked softly, voicing what everyone else was thinking and taking a slight step forward.

" _Raven,_ " she responded, warming her pizza up and reaching over to pour her tea. The room seemed to relax at this, seeing as she appeared to be in relatively good spirits. Gar decided to let his suspicions go for now, figuring it was just his brain overreacting and over-analyzing.

Nightwing gave her a cautious once over, and decided to say something as well. "We, erm, had been planning to do a bit of training if you're up for it," he told her, to which she simply nodded and sipped her tea.

"Okay," she said. She had resolved herself to figure a way around her issue, yes, but she wouldn't be unpleasant while she did. At least, she would try to avoid being unpleasant.

"Oh. Um, alright. Let's go then," he replied, scratching his head nervously. to him, this just seemed like the calm before the storm. They walked down to the training simulation room, Garfield eyeing Raven for the entire walk. There was something seriously off about her, something subtle, but he didn't know what. It was, apparently, something only he could pick up on, because no one else even seemed to be affected. Yet, he doubted that he was wrong. He _knew_ that something weird was going on.

Nightwing split them into teams of two, mixing them as much as possible. Jinx and Starfire, Wally and Cyborg, Gar and Speedy, Raven and himself. He had the camera going so they could review what was done right and wrong, that way he could train as well instead of watching from a distance. The point of the teams was to figure a way to work against people you knew well, and with people you didn't. Everyone was close enough to each other, but they weren't a well-oiled machine when working together. That's what Nightwing wanted. A set of well-oiled machines.

The teams spread, beginning to considered strategies to take down their opponents. After forty-five seconds, the longest amount of time they were ever given to plan, a bell rang out, and the four pairs faced each other. They had to battle each other for the little blue bird that flitted around the room, recovering it without causing it any harm. Though, as the battled, magic and starbolts and blasts flying everywhere, not to mention arrows and bird-a-rangs, it seemed that three of the teams were at a disadvantage, because Nightwing and Raven moved as one person. Perhaps it was because of the mental bond they had formed all those years ago, but they were a monster in the best sense of the word. If his bo staff swung right, he magic went left and vice versa. They protected each other from attacks on instinct, and soon they were closing in on the bird.

Raven was just reaching for it when Garfield shifted into a lion and jumped, pinning her to the ground by her shoulders. He released a slight grunt of triumph, but before he could taunt her, the smell hit him like a ton of bricks. _His_ smell. He changed back and growled angrily, tossing Raven over his shoulder without a second thought and charging out of the room.

She was dumbfounded by his anger the felt curling off of him, shocked to feel the cool air of the hallway rushing past her face as Gar jogged away from the training room. She took this moment to take note of just how large he had gotten over the years. She almost hadn't noticed, as she had always just seen him as Beastboy, Garfield. The short comic book geek who only wanted a moped. Now he was well, a man. He wasn't even close to being a boy anymore. His shoulders had broadened, his torso filling out with muscles from years of training and fighting. He was almost. . . attractive, in a sense. The fact that she was only now figuring this out bothered her a bit, but then, he had always just been a teammate.

Her pondering came to a stop as her backside bounced against a rather fluffy mattress, and she was temporarily disoriented. Lilac and honeydew walls, black curtains and sleek black furniture. Where was she? It wasn't until she saw a hamper of dirty clothes shoved in the corner that she figured it out. "Is this. . . am I in your _room?_ " she asked, startled. It wasn't a mess. It was relatively clean, actually. Another surprise. It seemed he had changed quite a bit without her noticing.

Gar ignored her question, his face twisted into a scowl. " _Why_ are you _covered_ in _his scent_?" he snarled, gripping the tops of her arms. Tight enough to keep her from leaving, but not tight enough to cause her pain. Raven winced from the malice in his voice, but quickly slid her deadpanned attitude into place.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she responded blankly, avoiding looking into his eyes.

He growled. "Do _not_ give me your bullshit right now, Raven. You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. What the _fuck_ did Adonis do to you that has you still smelling like him _three weeks later?_ " He was asking, but he knew the answer already. He had marked her. That's all he could have done. Gar had spent hours researching everything on the Beast after the incident, and marking was one of the things he found. He had never given it much thought until now.

Knowing that she had been beaten, Raven reached up and scrubbed a hand across her collarbone. It came away covered in makeup, the spot she had rubbed now sporting its large, circular reddish-purple blemish. " _Fine,_ " she snapped. "He fucking _marked_ me. _Adonis_. Rage tried to kill him, figuring that if he was dead-"

"No," Gar interrupted. "If he dies, you slowly get weaker and weaker until you waste away. You would either have to mate with _him,_ " his eye twitched at the thought, "or deal with the discomfort of _not_ mating."

For a moment, she considered telling him about that other alternative. That if she were to find another mate of the same species, that would work just as well. But she would _not_ let Gar feel like it was his duty or like she was his responsibility. She refused. She could live with a little discomfort for the rest of her life, or until she found another solution. Whichever came first.

After all, how bad could a little discomfort be?

* * *

 **Hello, my darling feathers! I know that this sort of came from nowhere, but it's been running through my head for a while. I just had absolutely no idea how to start it off until recently. Now that I've banged this out of the way, I'm shooting to put up another chapter of my Thorne redo. I just really wanted to get this out there.**

* * *

 **FANACT!**

 **Question of the Chapter:**

 **Do you think I'm moving to fast?**

 **Only honest opinions!**

 **Also, I am unlike most other people. I want your reviews, good or bad. If you hated it and think my writing is crap, tell me. If you think I can do things better, tell me. Your reviews make me better, so please, give me everything you can.**

 **With plenty of love,  
~LBB**


	2. Discomforted

**Hey, guys! So, I honestly don't understand what the heck kind of magic I put into this story, but so many people loved it so fast and I don't know what I did. I love you all so much for giving me the gift of your follows and favorites, it has made my week phenomenal. Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

 **Also,** I was going to respond to some of my reviews as well, to let all of you guys know that I am, in fact, reading your reviews that I wish for so much. They are important to me. (Fact.) The only issue with this is that you guys are so phenomenal, and I got so many reviews, that I don't want to make anyone feel neglected by not getting a response. Just know that I thank everyone and appreciate you so, so much.

 ** _IMPORTANT_ : Okay, so the third person italics that are separated from the other text? Adonis. Always, always, always Adonis. I'm doing this because he is a totally separate person from everyone else. He is not connected to the Titans, or to anyone, really. Neither is his text.**

 **So sorry for this being so long.**

 **Anywhosen, ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

 _He could feel her, always. Her emotions were always dancing there, at the edge of his mind, just out of reach. But at least she was there. That meant that she hadn't found a a way to break his hold on her yet. It meant that she was still_ his _and that is what mattered._

* * *

As it happened, it wasn't a little discomfort at all. It was quite a lot of discomfort.

Raven's life, which had never been the glowing ball of light her friends seemed to have, anyways, only got darker and darker. She felt like there was a storm cloud following her around all day, everyday, which wasn't true. It was very rare that her powers decided to conjure up a storm cloud all by themselves, in fact. Only once or twice a day for about ten minutes each. She quite hated her situation and, despite Gar's frequent insisting that she tell the rest of the team about it, she was dealing with it mostly alone. She would have mentioned it to Jinx or Argent, but neither girl had quite mastered the art of keeping their mouth shut. She worried constantly that if she told Jinx, Jinx would tell Wally, and there were no secrets between Wally and Dick. If she were to tell Argent, she would tell Jinx, and it would have the same end. So Raven was stuck with no one but Gar constantly trying to persuade her to let him help her look for a solution. She couldn't do that of course, because there was only one answer she would find, and it was not happening if she had anything to do with it.

It was Monday morning, and Raven's grouchiness couldn't get much worse. At least, she believed that until she stepped into the common room, immediately bombarded by sound and smells and _light_. All she had come for was tea and perhaps a bowl of cereal.

"What the _fu-_ "

" ** _Happy Birthday!_** " The Titans yelled together, causing Raven to flinch. Damn. She had forgotten. Again. It seemed that, once the birthday meant to end the world had passed, she had stopped keeping up with when her birthday was. It didn't fall on a specific day of the year, anyways, because an Azarathean year wasn't the same as an Earth one. Her birthday came every four-hundred twenty-nine days, and after the end had passed, she had honestly stopped counting. It seemed that her friends hadn't.

"Oh. Thanks, guys," she replied, plastering a smile across her face. It appeared that everyone had showed up. There was everyone from Jinx, Wally and Bee to Kole, Gnark, Hot Spot, and Wildeebeast. Starfire was leading the gathering, her smile so wide it seemed her face should be breaking in two soon. Raven sighed internally. It really shouldn't surprise her that this was all up to Star; there was no doubt she had noticed just how absent and upset her friend was. A party, bringing together all their other friends, was her way of helping, trying to take Raven's mind off of whatever was bothering her so much. Raven appreciated the effort, though nothing could take her mind off the itching, almost burning, sensation just below her skin.

Though, with one look at Starfire's gleaming face, she knew she would try anyways. If only to keep that bright smile in place. To show that this was her decision, she lifted a cone shaped party hat - perhaps someone should mention to the alien girl that such things were more appropriate at children's parties than they were at the party of a woman turning twenty - and placed it ceremoniously on her head.

With as much enthusiasm as she could muster, she said, "Let's get this party started."

She allowed Starfire to take her by the hand then, dragging her to the table and handing her what seemed to be a cupcake, but based on the smell and the way the icing appeared to be moving, Starfire herself had made it. She raised an eyebrow but took the dessert, then let Star lead her to whatever the next thing she wanted Raven to do was.

A mere hour later, Raven was already regretting her decision to agree to this party. It was loud and bright and, the full moon was only a few days away. Since the beast was wolfish in nature, her discomfort was at its height when the moon was full. While the focus of the party was transitioning, from watching Dick and Roy compete to betting on how many portals Herald could jump through in a row before he threw up, she managed to slip away and up to the roof.

* * *

In the many weeks that followed, Raven seemed to throw herself even further into her books. Things written in languages none of her team could read, with origins in realms none of them had heard of. The only person who knew this was more than just a craving for knowledge was Garfield, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't seem to convince her to tell the team about her situation.

She was seated on the shore of the beach, just out of reach of the water. It was nearly midnight, the bridge between days, just right for her ritual. She had read something, a speculation with one of her books, that if she surrounded herself by the elements at midnight on a full moon and recited a certain incantation, the mark would disappear.

She had five slabs of stone, black tourmalinated quartz, bloodstone, clear quartz, goldstone, and obsidian*, each of which had a ceremonial pillar candle atop them. When midnight finally hit, she stood, her stones creating a ring around her and the candles lighting as she stepped into the ocean. She went in up to her hips, that was she was perfectly divided between the ocean and the sky. She blew out a measured breath, then began her chant.

"Libera me ab vincula rumpere vincla invisibilium _."  
_ _Free me of my bonds, break my unseen chains._

 _"_ Aufer tenere me vis dimittere negativae _."  
Remove the hold on me, disband this negative energy._

"Caelo testis meus et terram terra mihi aqua et igni abluere reliquias auferatur potentia, oro te, libera me! _"  
With the sky as my witness and the earth to ground me, the fire to burn away his power and water to wash away all remnants, I beg of thee, free me!_

The air around her crackled with energy and storm clouds formed, the water churning beneath her. The residents of the tower began to stir in their sleep, one verdant-shaded Titan going so far as to wake up, due to the racket, but the sorceress in the sea was much too preoccupied to notice. She could feel power radiating from each of her stones, and her candle flames grew, surrounding her upper half in a ring of fire. She threw her arms over her head to protect herself just as lightning struck her, but her magic didn't move fast enough. Electricity coursed through her veins and danced over her skin, and her powers exploded from her in the same instant. Electricity across the city cut out, and all the windows within a half-mile radius either cracked or shattered.

Raven willed what little energy she had left to carry her back to the shore and let herself collapse there, knowing she was much too tired to move. Just moments later, Nightwing and Garfield both rushed out of their rooms, half dressed, nearly running into each other. Both looked startled, but instead of saying anything about it, they rushed outside, alarmed at what they saw. Raven was lying on the beach, soaked and covered in sand, and patches of her skin were beginning to bruise. Wordlessly, the men lifted her and carrier her back inside to the med-bay, connecting her to all of the proper monitors. Once everything was set up, Nightwing turned to look at Gar.

"Do you have any idea what happened to her?" he asked. His entire body was taught, coiled like a bow string, and Gar could tell he might snap at any moment.

"I wish I did," he told him honestly. He knew about Raven's situation, but had absolutely no idea what she was doing out of bed, or what had happened to her. Nightwing grunted softly to himself; obviously he knew just as much as Garfield did. The pair each took a seat at Raven's bedside, deciding they would wait to talk to her when she woke up.

Hours later, she began to stir in her sleep, mumbling softly to herself. Gar's animalistic ears flicked, catching only the words _mark_ and _ritual._ He glanced at Nightwing quickly, but it was clear he hadn't caught Raven's words. Gar figured that was a good thing, as it meant he would have less questions and believe whatever lie Raven fed him.

The girl on the cot rolled again, visibly uncomfortable. After only a moment or two more, she snapped awake, breathing heavily and trying to sit up. Nightwing's strong hands pushed her back down.

"Relax," he insisted, grabbing a glass of water and holding it out to her. She took the glass, but didn't drink the water. "Can you tell me what happened to you out there?"

Raven groaned and slowly slid so she was sitting up, her brain already working out a lie to tell him. "I was on the roof, meditating. I saw the storm and was about to come back in when I was struck by lightning, I think," she recalled slowly, using truths to make her lie more believable. Nightwing nodded for her to go on. "I think my powers reacted, but I don't quite remember. I fell into the water, and I think that's when I blacked out," she finished, moving her hand to touch the juncture between her neck and collarbone. To Nightwing, she probably looked like she was in pain, but Gar knew she was wondering it the mark was still there. That must have been what her ritual was. A way to remove that mark. It was just too bad it hadn't worked.

"You need to be more careful, Raven. This could have been a lot more fatal," Nightwing said. He looked at Gar. "I'll stay with her."

Gar shook his head. "No, no, it's fine. You need the sleep more than I do. I slept all day," he argued, gesturing for the other male to leave. Nightwing sighed as he considered, then got up and left the med wing without another word. As soon as Gar heard his footsteps disappear around the corner, he whipped his head around to glare at Raven. "You could have gotten killed."

"I didn't," she countered.

"But you could have," he repeated. "And all for what? Because you didn't want to tell the team about your little Adonis issue."

"They _can't_ _know_ ," she said through clenched teeth, and her heart rate on the monitor spiked for a moment.

Gar could feel his irritation rising in his throat, and he stood, placing a and on the rails on wither side of her. He leaned towards her, his voice low and frustrated as he spoke. "Well I know, so _let me help you._ " He could feel something, the same odd presence he felt before, stir a bit in his head, as if some sleeping giant was turning over in its sleep.

Her only response to that was to mutter "My body's healed" and phase into the shadows.

* * *

Raven appeared on the roof only moments later, exhausted and frustrated and annoyed. Nothing she did was helping her in anyway shape or form.

"Oh, Azar and all that is Holy," she grumbled, sitting on the ledge of the tower and looking out at the water. She was facing away from the moon, though, as if by pretending it wasn't there, she wouldn't feel the irritation in her gut. It was like an itch that just couldn't be scratched, no matter how she twisted or maneuvered. She was still moping and contemplating her situation when Nightwing came up.

Sitting down next to her, he asked, "You okay?" She shrugged in response. "So, what's been up with you lately, anyways? And don't say nothing," he added, tapping his head as if to remind her that they were still bonded. As if she didn't know. She had been taking extreme measures over the past few weeks to be sure that her discomfort didn't transcend that bond, in fact. Not that he was aware, of course.

"I just- issues with my magic," she told him. It wasn't a lie, exactly. She was, in fact, having trouble. The trouble was that her magic couldn't help her out of her current situation.

Robin nodded in understanding. "I see," he said, he reached over to her and gave her knee a soft squeeze, a comforting gesture. "Well, whenever you get ready to tell me what the real issue is, I'm here for you," he told her, flashing a crooked smile as he stood and headed over to the door. "I'll see you later, Raven."

With Nightwing gone, she laid back against the cool steel of the roof, letting out a frustrated groan. As she did, she heard the high pitched sound of glass splintering and winced. "Oops," she mumbled. While laying there, she began to hear the alarm blaring below. A glance at her communicator showed that Adonis had broken out of jail, and she felt her chest swell with fury. With a flick of her wrist she was in her uniform, and then she was in the form of a raven and headed towards the city. The others would catch up eventually.

She arrived at the prison and changed back, then immediately began tracking Adonis down, feeling out for his emotions. Sadly, it was much easier than it should have been, what with her being Marked and all. She found him within minutes, and the ball of anger in her chest tightened.

"Adonis," she snapped, her fingers crackling with black energy. She could hear Robin in her comms unit, the newest installment that year, telling her to wait, but she didn't think she had that much control. Adonis had made her life a living _hell_ , after all.

 _He had known that she was close, but not that close. The sound of her voice excited him in a way he wasn't willing to admit._

Adonis turned around leisurely, looking up at her calmly. "Hey there, sweet cheeks. Miss me?"

Raven flashed him a dark look. "What did you _do_?" she asked in response, her hands twitching in anticipation.

 _She was beautiful in all of her furious glory, and he was so close to making her his. His, his, his._

"Figure out my little trick, huh? And I'm sure you're just _dying_ to be with me," he replied, grinning wickedly at her.

"Not even in your dreams, Adonis," she deadpanned. She could hear Robin in her ear, telling her that they were on their way and that she needed to stand down until backup arrived. The only problem was, she didn't think she could wait that long.

"Oh, I beg to differ. You'd be amazed by what you do in my dr-"

" _Stop_ ," she snarled, her fingers curling into fists.

His grin only widened. "Oh, but you should hear this. After all, thanks to that pretty little mark on your neck, all of my fantasies will become reality," he told her smugly.

 _God, he was so close to her it was driving him insane. He had to have her soon. He didn't know just how long he could wait._

"Not in a million years."

"You're right. It'll be much sooner," he responded.

Eyes blazing with fury, Raven launched herself forward and let her power flow into her arm as it swung, a trick she had learned a while ago. It connected with his face with a satisfying crunch and she pulled back out of his reach.

" _Fuck_ ," he hissed, his hand reaching up to cup his crooked, bleeding nose. "Strong. I _love_ that in a woman," he commented, flashing her a malicious smile with blood dripping down his lips.

"Shut your mouth," she ordered, her hand whipping around again. But this time it wasn't to punch him, but to direct the car her magic had taken a hold of. He caught it almost effortlessly, and so she swung another. He caught that one as well. He launched them back at her, and before she could protect herself, she felt something knocking into her from behind, which was not at all the direction she had expected, and taking her to the ground.

"Just so you know, Nightwing is _pissed_ ," said the voice of the person who had tackled her. It was Gar, his warm body pressing hers against the pavement as the two cars soared directly overhead.

"For what?" she asked evenly, shoving his chest slightly. He rolled off immediately.

"Because I told you to _wait,_ damn it," Nightwing himself responded, appearing behind her and glaring sharply.

"I'd be sorry, but I'm not. I was waiting, but I couldn't have him getting away or continuing to grate my nerves," she replied, giving him a dark look of her own.

"We'll talk about this later, Raven. Don't think you're off the hook," Nightwing said simply, then turned back to where Kid Flash and Jinx, who had decided to join them, were keeping Adonis occupied.

Once he was gone, Gar stood and offered her his hand. "You good?" he asked. She knew that he wasn't asking her if she was physically hurt, and she scowled a bit, still upset that he knew about her predicament at all.

"I'm fine," she insisted, ignoring his hand as she stood and dusted herself off. "Let's just get back to kicking his useless ass," she muttered through clenched teeth.

* * *

Less than an hour later, the group was back at the tower, while Raven headed to Nightwing's study to be chewed out.

"You've been acting strangely lately, Raven. Don't think I haven't noticed. And I don't just mean today," he began, crossing his arms as he faced her off. "It's been more than a week. Since the last time we fought Adonis, actually. So tell me. What did he do to you?" he asked. Raven could already tell that he wouldn't want to let her go without an answer.

"He's lewd and makes disgusting jokes," she told him, knowing he wouldn't accept that reply even though it was true.

"So does Red-X. So do a good half of our male villains, actually. Suddenly it's different when Adonis does it?" he questioned skeptically.

Raven huffed out an aggravated breath and the lights flickered for a moment. "So maybe it is. What's your point?"

"My point is that he obviously did something to you. I don't like to pry into your life, Raven. You know that-"

"Then don't," she interrupted.

"- but It's been affecting your performance on the team, and if it continues on like this you're going to have to tell me."

"I'll tell you when I'm ready," she responded, turning and stalking angrily from the room.

Sighing, he uncrossed his arms and slumped against his desk. He hated having to be that bossy, especially with Raven, but it was necessary. He was going insane. There was something he didn't know, some vital piece of information he was missing that would connect all of the puzzle pieces. He couldn't figure out why Raven had been so strange lately, other than the fact that it had something to do with Adonis. Whenever she saw him, or even when someone mentioned his name, she became immediately enraged, and he simply couldn't put his finger on the reason. Maybe Starfire knew? No, no, he hadn't seen Raven and Starfire hanging out in weeks. That couldn't be it. Perhaps Gar knew something. He had literally carted Raven from training the other day; he must at least have a clue.

He stalked to Gar's room, knocking on the door. "Hey. This is important," he said as the door opened, revealing a still-disheveled green Titan.

"Yes?" he asked, leaning against the door frame.

"What's up with Raven?" Nightwing questioned in return. Gar blinked in suprise at his inquiry, but quickly composed his facial expression. Not quick enough. "And don't say you don't know. You know," Nightwing argued.

"I don't," Gar lied smoothly. Nightwing would be pissed about Gar not telling him, but Raven would kill him if he did and, if he was being perfectly honest, he was much more afraid of Raven.

A muscles in the Titan leader's jaw twitched in fury, and Gar could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to work out a solution. "Fine. If you don't know, and she won't tell, then both of you are temporarily suspended from the team until one of you figures it out, and both of you will be having all day training sessions until then as well." That said, Nightwing stomped down the hall, trying to get a clue. Who else would know something about Raven? No one on the team knew anything at all except for Gar, and he wasn't talking.

But, there was a chance that he should be looking outside of the team. If she only got angry when she thought of Adonis. . .

With that thought in his brain, Nightwing headed down to the city jail to talk to their most recently added super villain.

* * *

 **Hello! Sorry this took me so long, but essays and AP calc aren't exactly the easiest things to juggle, if you catch me drift. But I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I quite enjoyed writing it!**

 ***Note: I actually looked up healing stones and what these meant, and all of these were about banishing evil and protecting one's soul.**

 **FANACT:  
**

 **Any predictions for the upcoming chapter? Wishes for what will happen? Questions on this chapter? Well, whatever you have, questions comments, confusions, complaints, good or bad reviews, I would love to hear them!**

 **Always, with love,**

 **~LBB**


	3. Invaded

**Hello! So, first of all, I would like to thank of of my wonderful reviewers! It honestly brings me so much joy to know what you guys think of my writing, good or bad. Thank you for being such amazing people. This chapter goes out to all of you.**

 **Anywhosen, ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

Nightwing was intent on finding out something, anything, from Adonis. He arrived at Jump City Penitentiary, and, after how many criminals he had put in there, they let him in with very little trouble. The guards told the Titans' leader to wait in the chamber they allowed conversations to occur in, the headed through the halls.

"Prisoner 386," one of the guards said. "You have a visitor."

 _A visitor? It must have been her. Had to be. Who else would want to see him?_

"No doubt one of the big man's adoring fans," he responded, smirking at flexing in the guards' direction. The guards, trained to be extremely stoic, didn't reply, simply unlocked the door. One of the guards trained his gun on Adonis while the other walked in and handcuffed him. They lead him to the room where Nightwing was waiting, and Adonis ground his teeth in frustration.

 _It wasn't her. Why wasn't she there? She had to want him the same way he wanted her. It wasn't fair; she should be his by now!_

"Well," the villain began, "You certainly are not who I wanted to see on my Saturday night."

Nightwing arched an eyebrow. "Expecting someone?" he asked stonily, crossing his arms over his broad chest. He was sitting across from the other man, if only in an attempt to look less tense than he felt.

"No, not expecting. Though I was certainly hoping that your good friend Raven would stop by," Adonis replied, flashing a devious grin. "I have some needs that I'm sure she could satisfy." Nightwing's jaw clenched at this, and Adonis grinned wider. "Does that bother you, birdie? You don't like the idea of her being with me, even though we both know that's where she belongs? Funny. I thought you were into the redhead."

 _Raven was his. This man could have no claim on her. She was his and only his._

"Don't talk about them that way," Nightwing told him slowly, trying to keep him temper under control. "I didn't come here to listen to you babble, Adonis. I came here to ask you some questions."

Adonis lifted one eyebrow daringly. "What makes you think I'll answer any of your questions?" he questioned, leaned forward and laying his chained arms on the table.

"I'll put in a good word for you with the warden; perhaps he'll knock off one of your four life sentences and give you better meals," Nightwing responded. "Now tell me; what did you do to Raven?"

 _He didn't know. That meant she was keeping his little mark a secret. If that's what she wanted, he would play along._

 _Anything, for her._

Adonis laughed, the sound loud and untrustworthy. "Who cares what I did? What's more interesting is what I'm going to do to her. Imagine the sounds she'll make when I finally take her into my bed. God, I bet she'll look absolutely beautiful bene-"

 _"_ _Stop that_ ," Nightwing hissed, his hands clenching into fists beneath the table.

The villain smirked. "Funny. She says that a lot, too. But I doubt she'll want to say that much when I have my tongue in her p-"

He was interrupted as Nightwing's hands came up abruptly, grabbing the front of his enemy's shirt and dragging him close. "You speak one more word about her like that, and I'll have you thrown in a hole you can never get out of, do you understand me?" He released him then and, seeing that he wasn't getting any information out of Adonis that day, turned and stalked from the room, allowing the guards to enter and take their prisoner back to his cell.

 _Let the bird deliver that message. She would come to him soon enough. He was certain._

* * *

Gar couldn't believe Nightwing had just interrogated him like that. He knew how much Raven valued her privacy; so why wouldn't he stop poking around? Yes, Gar himself had tried to convince Raven to tell the rest of the team, but he hadn't tried to force it out of her. He only tried to persuade her.

But Nightwing. . . Nightwing was going just a bit too far. Gar decided that Raven needed to know, and soon. He trudged down to her room, standing outside the door for a moment before raising his fist. He rapped his knuckles against the door twice, then shoved his hands into his pockets as he waited. He could hear her heartbeat and the sound of her moving towards the door, so he didn't knock again.

"What?" deadpanned Raven, sliding the door open just a bit. He could see the lavender hue of a pair of fuzzy pajama pants, although he knew she hadn't been sleeping.

"It's Nightwing. He just came to my room to ask me about your situation, see what I know," he explained. He held his hands up quickly in a stopping motion, swiftly tacking on, "I didn't tell him anything. I just thought you should know that he's poking around. Oh, and we're both suspended from the team and have to practice sun up to sun down until we tell him what's going on."

Raven stared at him for a long moment, then motioned for him to come inside.

"Really? I haven't been in here since the whole, uh, Nevermore incident," he muttered, his green cheeks flushing brightly. She gave him a dark look, and he ducked his head, smiling and looking sheepish. She pulled up her communicator, glancing at the device and beginning to type something onto the small screen. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Trying to find Nightwing on my communicator. I can sense he's not in the tower." She could have used their bond, but opening it one way opened it both ways, and she couldn't have him poking around in her head. Not with the space-invading war path he was already on. After another minute or so, she shook her head. "It's off."

"Maybe he went for a cool down?" Gar offered, though they both knew that wasn't the case. They would just have to wait, because Azar knew that if Nightwing didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be, at least not for a long while. Raven was just about to put her communicator away when a notification popped up on the screen, alerting her to the fact that sunrise was in three hours. No doubt a subtle hint left by Nightwing that she had better get some sleep before training that day.

"Whatever he's doing, we can find out tomorrow. If he's serious about this training, then we both need sleep," she said, snapping her communicator shut and setting it on her dresser. "See you in the morning."

Gar, with the feeling that he had been dismissed, turned on his heel and headed from the room, sighing a little. He didn't understand why Raven wouldn't just tell the team, but then, he hardly ever understood the things Raven did. When he got to his room, he collapsed into bed and slowly drifted off to sleep, still considering things he could do to help his friend out of her predicament.

* * *

Just a few short hours later, both Raven and Garfield were roused from their sleep and had to report to training. Raven grabbed her self a cup of tea and a bottle of water, and Gar grabbed a granola bar.

"Can you believe he's making us do this?" Gar asked.

Raven shrugged, replying, "Actually, I can. Much as Robin is like a brother to me, he's an ass." Gar laughed outright at that.

"And all for a secret you won't tell and I don't know," he added, giving her a conspiratorial wink. She rolled her eyes as they entered the training area, reading the schedule left for them.

"Strength training, speed and agility, problem solving, sparring," Raven said aloud, rolling out her muscles slowly. Gar finished the granola bar and tossed the wrapper in the trash, turning towards his violet-haired friend.

"I'm stretching first. You?" he questioned, heading toward a bare mat in the middle of the room. It's where they would normally spar, but it worked just as well for warming up. Raven followed, bending at the waist and easily grabbing a hold of her feet. She yawned a little, glancing up at her companion. He was in the same position she was, only the tips of his fingers barely brushed his toes.

"Are you telling me you aren't flexible enough to grab your own feet?" she asked him dryly, one eye brow raised. He shrugged a little, and she stood,stretching her arms above her head. She was in black sweatpants and a T-shirt, her usual exercising attire, as it was comfortable and easy to move in. Gar mimicked her position, and she took a moment to appreciate the sliver of muscle visible beneath the grey T-shirt, which had risen as he stretched. She felt her cheeks grow hot, and ducked her head so he wouldn't see it. Sometimes, she hated the hormones that came along with being half-human.

After both of them were well loosened, they got to their training regimen, taking few breaks for water and lunch. Finally, after many hours of laborious physical activity, they were finished with everything but sparring.

Collapsing onto the mat, Gar questioned, "Do we have to?" He was breathing hard, as they had just finished a series of sprints.

Raven, leaning against the wall and gasping for air, certainly wasn't in much better shape. "You know we do," she replied once she had acquired enough oxygen. "You and I both know he'd be pissed the second he found out we skipped something," she said. She yanked the scrunchie from her hair so she could redo her ponytail, as it was starting to sag. She had changed her outfit twice already to match her activity, and she did so once again, so she was wearing a pair of cotton shorts and a black tank top.

Once her wardrobe malfunction had been corrected, she shoved away from the wall and held a hand out to her partner. "Let's go, Gar." He took her hand and pulled, switching their positions so she was on the mattress and he was standing over her.

"Always be ready," he told her, grinning slyly. She glared at him and faded into shadow, reappearing above him.

"Ass," she muttered as she dropped like an anvil, using her weight to tackle him to the ground with ease. He grunted in surprise and morphed into a snake to slide out from beneath her, then changing into a gorilla to attack. She threw up a shield to protect herself causing his jabbing fists to contact a wall of dark energy rather than her person. She pushed to her feet, let the wall down and swung her foot in a graceful arc, knocking his feet from under him. His reaction time was quick, though, and he latched onto her arm, using her weight both to steady himself and then swing her over him on back down onto the mat. The wind whooshed from her lungs, and she rolled to the side just as her swung his fist to wear her abdomen would have been. She reached out with one hand, her magic preventing him from escaping her grasp. He shifted into a camel and spat at her and, in the process of ducking, she lost her grip on him.

The battle raged on, with neither really managing to gain the upper hand. Gar slammed her back against the wall, his hands pinning her there by her shoulders. She tried to fade into the shadows, but his grip was too strong, and he would just end up coming with her. His eyes were wide and excited, and she could see his mind moving as he tried to calculate her next move. She lifted her legs to kick him off just as the alarm rang to signal that they were done for the day, and she looked up at the clock, shocked. He flashed her a cheeky smile and took a step back, his chest rising and falling as he attempted to slow his breathing.

"I guess that means I won."

Raven blew hair from her face, her violet eyes cutting him with a glower. "No, you didn't."

He laughed outright, breathless, but still hearty. "I totally did! When that bell rang, I had you _pinned_ ," he argued, his expression smug.

Raven's water appeared in her hand and, even as she drank it, she was still glaring at him. Finally, she quirked an eyebrow, and it was like the sky opened up, or, more accurately, like Raven had just used her magic to empty a bucket of water over Gar's head.

"Aww, _man_."

* * *

Not too long later, after the pair had taken showers and had something to eat, Gar was bounding around the halls of the tower, trying to convince his comrades to join him in a movie night. Starfire had given in easily, so he was on his way to Raven, as her room appeared before Cyborg's on his journey.

He arrived at her door and knocked twice, hearing a muffled thud and a low swear from opposite side. A disgruntled-looking Raven appeared moments later, her face set into a scowl.

"Gar. What do you need?" she questioned, her voice tinged with the slightest bit of frustration.

He took a step back, but flashed her a huge smile nonetheless. "I'm planning a movie night. You in?" he asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. He rocked back and forth on his heels as he awaited her response.

"No," she said flatly, moving to shut the door.

As if they did this every day, which wasn't entirely accurate, but almost, he slid his foot into the door to keep it from closing. "Well then, what are you up to?" he wondered, feeling like she needed proper justification for not wanting to join him.

"Research," she told him, kicking his foot from the door and sliding it shut.

"At least let me help!" he called through the door.

"No."

Dejected, he turned and headed down the corridor to retrieve Cyborg.

Raven, who was sitting on her floor on the other side of the door, blew out a breath of aggravation, then levitated a few feet off the ground with her legs crossed, trying to refocus her center for meditation. She knew there had to be something about this stupid mark she was missing, something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Silently, she mouthed her mantra, steadying her breathing.

As she meditated, one of her carefully constructed walls slipped, and abruptly he was there, shoving his way into her mind forcefully.

 _Mine._

She winced from the shock of his voice, shouting that one word in her mind. She hit the ground roughly, clutching her head and focusing on trying to push Adonis out.

 _You are mine. Only mine. I will have you for my own. Body, mind, soul. Mine._

 _ **Mine**_ **. _Mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mine mi-_**

With a final heave, she manage to slam the mental wall back up, her hands shaking with a mixture of rage and discomfort. He had been in her head. He managed to push himself into the most private parts of her psyche.

What had he seen?

* * *

 _No! She couldn't be considering leaving him for that vomit colored boy! She was his! His! She was supposed to want him as bad as he wanted her! Why didn't she?_

 _No, no, it couldn't be. She was simply suppressing it. She_ had _to want him. He would just have to show her not to hide from her feelings. She was his, and no one else's. He would have her, no matter what._

* * *

Raven, still shuddering at the feeling of having Adonis's cold, slimy thoughts in her brain, she stood, stretching out her muscles and walking to the door. "Apparently, meditation is out," she murmured to herself, sighing and rubbing her temples as she made her way down the hall. She needed tea. She considered training as well, to help take her mind off of it, but her body didn't need to be any more sore than it should be, and Nightwing's training regimen was tough.

She stepped into the common room wordlessly, avoiding the curious gazes of her friends as she brought herself and her teacup to sit on the couch between Gar and Cyborg.

"Change your mind?" Cyborg asked, one eyebrow raised.

"What happened to your, uh. . . thing?" Gar asked, not wanting to give away too much.

"I'm taking a break," she said simply, reaching for the remote so she could press play on the movie.

Not wanting to say anything else and risk the chance of her changing her mind again, Gar simply leaned back to enjoy the movie.

As the movie started, beginning with two kids playing in the mud, Raven asked, "What is this even about?"

"It is a glorious tale of a woman who is a servant and becomes a princess after being visited by a magical being and losing a shoe that was made of glass!" Starfire cried exuberantly, smiling from ear to ear.

"So. . . Cinderella?" Raven asked, tilting her head curiously.

Starfire clapped with excitement. "It is a version of that glorious movie indeed!" With that, she leaned back, looking back at the television before her and settling into the couch once more.

Leaning in Gar's direction, Raven whispered, "You picked _Cinderella_?"

"Star wanted something goofy, and I figured you could use a little light-heartedness." He shrugged.

"But how did you know I would come?" she questioned softly.

He glanced at her, flashing a lopsided smile. "I didn't know. I hoped." That said, he turned his attention back to the screen, where a now-adult Cinderella, played by Drew Barrymore, was cooking breakfast for her family.

Once the movie was over, Raven stood from the couch, stretching out her stiff muscles and yawning a little. She really needed to get to bed, seeing as the next day held yet another excessive bout of training. She started back towards her room, Starfire floating along beside her and chattering in her ear about the movie, feeling a bit more relaxed even though she still didn't have a solution to her little Adonis problem.

After saying goodnight to her alien companion and stepping inside of her room, a bit of that relaxation seemed to fall away. There was something off about her bedroom, but what, she couldn't quite place. She checked every crack and crevice, every nook and cranny, but there was nothing different about her room, and no magical traces. So why was she still so uncomfortable?

She shook her head, trying to brush of how odd she felt. It was probably just the stupid mark again, nothing more. One day, she hoped, she would stop being so paranoid. She quickly dressed for bed and climbed beneath her sheets, yawning and reaching for her light switch. She still couldn't believe that Nightwing was forcing them to do this training just because he was upset, and yet it was exactly like him to be that petty. She finally drifted off to sleep, her annoyance at her team leader still occupying her brain.

* * *

 _She was_ his _, and he was learning more about her with each passing day. He could feel the fluctuation in her emotions, dully, yes, but he could still feel them when he concentrated. He could sense when she was sleeping, as the wall she'd built between them became a bit more callous. She seemed to be getting closer, becoming more and more of his woman, with each passing day._

 _He had been paying careful attention to her since the mark was created, and his presence had weighed even heavier on her mind for the past hour pr so. He could barely discern what she was doing, but in seemed like she was finally alone. He pressed a metaphorical ear against the door and a eye to the keyhole, trying to see into her mind better. After a while, he could sense the wall beginning to thin._

 _He felt it then, the subtle shift as she fell asleep, and began poking and prodding at her mind. He was in jail, yes, but that didn't mean he couldn't send her a little message._

 _He had realized that, because of his macho and arrogant act, she believed that he was much dumber than he was, so she expected so little. She tiptoed through her mind for a little while, before finally finding what he was looking for. He would have never been able to access it if she was awake, she was too active then._

 _So while his raven-haired beauty slept, he set to work carving out a message for her so she wouldn't forget._

* * *

The next morning, when Raven's alarm woke her up, she realized that she still felt that odd displacement from the night before. She threw back the curtains to provide some light and immediately sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes widening. There, scratched into her window over and over again, was the word _mine_.

She snatched up her communicator without a second thought, but there was no missed message, no alert, and no distress calls about a jail break. So how had he done it? It could be the work of no one but Adonis; but how had he written this message out for her a hundred times over without leaving his cell? Had someone else done it for him? Why hadn't the proximity alarm beeped?

She didn't understand, and she was more on edge than ever. Without even thinking about any sort of breakfast, she made her way to the training room. There was no way she could eat now. When she stepped inside, Garfield was already present, eating a plate of tofu eggs and looking absolutely dead on his feet.

"Tired?" Raven asked, one eyebrow arched with slight concern.

Gar nodded. "Rough night," he replied. There were bags beneath his eyes, and he looked a bit pale. "Nightmares," he added, before she could ask. Though, judging by his looks, she probably could have guessed as much.

She held up her hand, conjuring him up a cup of coffee. He shot her a weak, grateful smile as he grabbed the warm mug, taking a long gulp.

About ten minutes later, Gar had finished his coffee and looked only slightly more alive. He brushed a hand through his hair, quickly stretching out his muscles, as Raven had done while he was downing caffeine. She glanced at their regiment for that day, reading it aloud as she had the day before.

"Endurance. Quick thinking situations. Sparring. Teamwork drills," she recited, sighing. The second she solved her Adonis problem, she was going to kick Nightwing's ass. She was sure of it. Gar stood from his position, rolling out his neck.

"Well, I suppose we should get to it, then," he said, sounding resigned. He headed over towards the endurance course, making sure his shoes were tied and blowing out a deep breath. Suicide running, suicide running while holding twice their body weight, and then suicide running while holding twice their body weight in varying temperatures. Fun. It was a lucky thing they were both in their uniforms, as exercises like that particular one worked best when they were in their full gear so they could become accustomed to it.

Gar flashed Raven a sly grin, his eyes bright and playful. "I bet I'll last longer than you," he teased, waggling his eyebrows at his female companion.

"Not on your life, sport."

* * *

 **Hi! I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter, as I really enjoyed writing it. I had been hoping to have it out before the new year, but I was busy with family and honestly had absolutely no creativity left in the tank. Surprise; Adonis is _not_ an idiot! He's older, and obviously a bit smarter, especially with the amount of control he's handed over to the Beast. **

**Well, I hope everyone had a great holiday, whatever it was you celebrated, and a very good New Year.**

 **I would love more feedback from you guys, as it makes me stronger as a writer.**

 **I would also love to hear your predictions and hopes for the next chapter!**

 **With Love,  
** **~LBB**


	4. Exposed

**Helloooo! So, I should be working on my etymology final right now, but I suddenly had enough inspiration to write a bit, and here I am!**

 **Someone asked me why Beastboy wasn't flexible, and the answer is because in every chapter, I make a nod to my best friend in some way, shape, or form, and that was her nod, because she's been dancing for ten years and literally cannot touch her own toes.**

 **Anywhosen, ON WITH THE STORY!**

* * *

For days, Gar and Raven worked together in the training room, pushing each other to the limit and competing at anything and everything.

"You're joking, right?" Gar asked, watching as Raven dodged the flurry of arrows shot at her.

She sent him a look, ducking behind a pillar. "Do I sound like I'm kidding? We've already been stuck in this exercise for too long; we need to end it," she replied.

"It just seems sort of. . . risky," he commented, shrugging uncertainly.

"It's impervious to my magic and no matter what sort of attack you attempt to use, it heals itself. I think we need a little risky."

Sighing because he knew she was right, Gar nodded and shifted into a cheetah. Raven climbed on top of him, straddling his body and settling herself in between his shoulder blades. She mumbled her mantra, black energy appearing on her arm like a shield and in her hand like a _pilum_.

She released a breath, then gave his sides a nudge with her knees the way on did with a horse, and he took off, with Raven gripping his fur in order to stay atop his racing body. Her wall of magic deflected any and all of the attacks shot at them, from arrows to lasers and even the occasional miscellaneous object.

When they were finally close to the odd machine- shaped like a giant robot- that had been firing projectiles at them, Raven readjusted so she was crouched on his back, using her magic to balance. She let her force field down and launched herself at the metal monster, her spear solidifying and jamming into the opening where the attacks came from.

The machine began to sputter and rattle as it jammed, and Raven put up another energy bubble to shield them from the blast. As her protection field was pelted, it shrunk, bit by bit, until they were standing with Gar's back to the wall, Raven's arms on either side of him as if blocking him in.

With the shrapnel finally finished flying, Raven let the wall drop, looking up at her companion and quirking a smile.

"Told you it would work," she said coolly, taking a step back. Gar, who'd been staring at her in wonder since she finished off the machine, shook himself from his awe filled stupor to find himself feeling that odd awareness again, the strange primal twisting of his gut, and tucked a stray lock of violet hair behind her ear. Raven flushed slightly, but assured herself it was from the exercise and _absolutely nothing else_.

"I never said it wouldn't work. I only said it was risky," he pointed out, shrugging innocently.

Raven rolled her eyes. "Whatever. We need to start endurance," she replied, taking another step back before turning on her heel and walking to the next station. After a moment more of watching her walk away, he grinned and jogged to catch up with her.

* * *

Nightwing figured if he kept going to visit Adonis, maybe one day he would break. He hoped. This was his sixth day doing this, and so far he had gotten very little, other than the fact that all Adonis ever thought about was Raven. Her hair, her eyes, her smell- it was strange, in every sense of the word. But it Nightwing wanted answers, he would have to suffer through the lewd jabs at his teammate to get them. He sat in the conference room, determined to keep his cool better than he had the day before.

As the guards stepped into the room, Adonis in tow, Nightwing watched as first disappointment, then anger, flashed across the villain's face, filing that away for later.

 _She still wasn't there. It was the stupid leader again. Why wasn't she there? She should need him like he needed er! He needed her every moment of every day. She must have wanted him the same way._

 _It had to be him. The stupid hero getting in the way, as per usual._

 _He was going to strangle him with his own hands. How dare he forbid her from seeing him? How dare she not sneak out?_

 _He must have had her locked away, protected from him. It was the only explanation for why she hadn't come breaking his cell door down yet._

Nightwing decided to give him the first word, taking the time to look over Adonis. He wasn't as scrawny as he used to be, but still small. His nose was broken and slightly crooked, with purplish bruises across his cheeks, courtesy of Nightwing. Yesterday had been a particularly mouthy day for Adonis, and a violent one for Nightwing.

"Not tired of me yet, Birdie Boy?" the man asked, grinning wickedly. There was a slight, faded bruise on his neck as well, most likely from how tightly Nightwing had been holding his shirt the first day, but his facial expression was just as smug and malicious as ever. It was clear he was taunting the man with the obvious fact that he knew something about a certain violet-hued sorceress the Nightwing himself did not.

"Tired of your secrets yet, Adonis?" the hero shot back, one eyebrow raised.

Adonis shrugged. "I'll be done with them when she tells you."

"Why _her_?" Nightwing questioned. Adonis' smile widened.

"Isn't it obvious? She's the only girl worth noticing. No, the only woman worth noticing. The thing the world revolves around." He leaned forward, conspiratorially whispering, " _Raven._ "

Nightwing's jaw clenched, and he had to take a breath before replying. "What's your infatuation with my teammate?"

 _Her power. Her strength. Her perfection. She is the one_ _, the Alpha Female. She was the only woman worth anything._

"Other than her giant tits and slammin' curves?" Adonis asked, staring off into the distance and smirking as if he was seeing her just then.

 _He could feel her in his head, faintly. She was exerting herself, her muscles in pain. He must be torturing her._

 _He would kill the stupid bird._

"Yes. Other than _that_ ," Nightwing hissed, forcing himself to remain sitting.

Adonis seemed to be drifting ever farther from the conversation, his eyes glazing over temporarily. "You must have thought about it. About her. the way she would feel."

"Stop it."

"There's no way you haven't considered it. She's so slender, so different. I bet everyone else overlooks her. I bet when I take her, it will be her first time. She's never going to want anyone but me after that."

" _Stop it_ ," Nightwing seethed, his fists clenching.

"Imagine the noises she would make. I bet she would scream my name until her throat was raw, and even then she gasp and-" he was cut off as a fist slammed into his face, which then dropped to the table, unconscious.

"Maybe I should let someone else do this," Nightwing murmured to himself, watching as the guards dragged a knocked-out Adonis back to his cell.

With a swift shake of his head, he turned and stalked from the room, heading back out to his motorcycle. He climbed atop it and began racing back to the tower, trying to figure out what he was missing. Adonis had recently become obsessed with Raven, that much he knew. Raven had recently had a non-existent fuse when it came to Adonis. But when did it start?

Suddenly, inspiration struck, and he was headed to the science lab downtown and hoping they kept all their security tapes.

* * *

Raven ducked to avoid a blow to the face, asking, "So you've been taking the Co-Car, Cy's _back-up baby_ , out at night, and you've never mentioned it?" She swept her leg out, knocking him to the floor before springing at him. They were fighting sans-powers, which both knew was going to take longer. While Gar definitely had her in size and strength, Raven was a bit quicker on her feet, lighter and more agile, which is what lengthened it.

"I don't do it all the time, and I always make sure it's spotless, so. . . yeah," Gar admitted, giving an innocent shrug. "Like I told you, I don't always sleep the best. Sometimes I need to get out at night, clear my head," he explained gruffly, glancing away for just a moment as he readjusted their position so she was below him. His distraction gave her an opening, and she shoved him with her legs, catapulting him a few feet away.

She raised an eyebrow as she jumped to her feet, shaking out her arms and rolling the kinks from her neck. "Would you like a few sleeping tips? I'm sure I could help," she offered, moving to go on the offensive. She grasped out, catching him by the front of his shirt and hooking her leg behind his, knocking him to the ground. He pulled her with him, and they fought for dominance before she finally managed to get him under her, his chest pinned to the ground by her knees. The buzzer sounded then, and she flashed him a triumphant smirk.

"I win," she said smugly, her eyes dancing with delight as she pushed herself from his body. She shoved her hair, damp with sweat, back from her face, and watched as he stood as well, her hands on her hips.

"I demand a rematch. I was distracted, and you know it," Gar replied.

She scoffed slightly, trying to even out her breathing. "Don't be a sore loser," she scolded, though there was a bit of teasing to her voice as she nudged his chest.

" _Me_?" he asked incredulously, looking down at her in disbelief. " _You_ dumped a bucket of water on my head," he countered, pointing a finger at her accusingly.

She blinked at him innocently. "I would never," she said flatly, grabbing her water and taking a sip.

With a rumble in his chest and an odd impulsiveness in his bones, he reached out and snatched her by her hips, quickly swiping her bottle of water and pouring it directly over her head.

She gasped at the cold, shoving away from him as it soaked through her thin t-shirt and stuck to her skin. Glaring, she waved her hand, preparing to dump another bucket over his head. Instead, he morphed into an elephant, quickly inhaling the water and spraying her with it. She made a noise of surprise, throwing up up both her arms and her magic to protect herself. When the onslaught of water finally yielded, she lowered her energy field, only to feel his strong arms pushing her back against the wall. His hair was wild, his expression showing just how pleased with himself he was. She caught a glimpse of something dark in his eyes, but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared, too fast for her to name it.

He leaned in close, and for a moment she was worried he may try to kiss her, but he simply pressed his lips to her ear and whispered, "I won."

Raven huffed in annoyance, her hands pressing against his abdominal muscles and pushing him away. "You cheated," she argued, wringing out her wet hair. "This was a no-powers duel, remember?" she pointed out, to which he shrugged. She began walking to the door, to go get another bottle of water, as well as a shower.

"All's fair in love and war."

"Really? And which of those would our sparring be?" she inquired flippantly, throwing him a glance over her shoulder as she left the room. She cared about his response, but she wanted him to stew in the knowledge that she'd gotten the last word.

Gar stood there, momentarily stunned, before bounding after her. He found her in the kitchen, taking long gulps from another water bottle. He shirt was still wet and clinging to her body, and he allowed himself just a moment of ogling before forcing his eyes back to her face.

"How many more days of this do you think we can take?" he asked her, gesturing to the way she was leaning back on the counter for support.

She arched one eyebrow. "What? Are you not enjoying yourself?" she questioned dryly.

"You and I both know that you need to tell them eventually. Do you really think Nightwing is going to stop prying for answers?" he asked. Before she answered, he added, "Because he's not. I followed him to the penitentiary yesterday, Raven. He's trying to get answers from Adonis himself."

Raven paled slightly, shaking her head. "I'll talk to him about it," she muttered.

"As if that'll work, Rae. Robin is almost as stubborn as he is bossy," Gar commented, watching Raven walk away. Before she could turn the corner, he caught her wrist, spinning her to face him. "Tell them," he insisted.

Raven pulled her arm from his grasp, leaving to take a shower without another word.

Nightwing arrived at the tower while the two were taking their showers, stated that he had a lot of work to do, and disappeared into the case room. Once Raven no longer smelled of sweat, or felt disgusting, she headed down to see him, knocking on the door and folding her arms across her chest. He didn't reply, but she could hear papers and boxing being moved around inside, and she decided that letting herself in wouldn't be wrong. She honestly needed to speak with him.

He didn't even look at her, and she let loose a heavy sigh, saying, "Listen, Nightwing I-"

"Unless you're planning on telling me what's going on, I don't think I'm interested," interrupted her leader, though he paused what ever video footage he was watching, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"You don't have to be interested, you just need to listen," she said harshly. She pulled in a breath to calm herself; she wasn't here to argue with him. "What's going on with me is my business. No one else's. You know how private I am. Stop poking around for answers you're not going to find," she told him, her flat tone a bit sharp around the edges.

He spun to face her, his superior height making her look like a very angry, violet-hued dwarf. "No, Raven. When you're secrets begin to affect your actions on the team, then it becomes my business. You're disobeying direct orders and lashing out. You've built a wall around the bond between us. You nearly _killed yourself_ the other day trying to do some sort of ritual. Are you telling me you don't expect me to worry? You don't expect me to want to know? Not to mention that Gar knows," he seethed. She was temporarily taken aback by his outburst, but quickly regained her composure.

"So that's what this is? You're upset because you think Gar knows? Well, news flash, he doesn't," she lied smoothly. "And even if he did, it wouldn't be his secret to tell, would it?" There was a challenge in her words and her facial expression, but Nightwing knew better than to push it. With that she twisted away from him, towards the door, and walked away.

Raven almost couldn't believe he was being so ridiculous. Almost. She remembered what he had been like when Gar first turned into the Beast, so it wasn't totally unfathomable. She stepped into her room, releasing a breath. She waved her hand to light a few candles, deciding she would tentatively try to meditate. Hopefully she would have more luck today than she had a few days ago. She shuddered then, thinking about the word that had been scrawled all over her window. The following day, it was her walls. Her mirror. She kept removing it, and it kept reappearing. Everyday, she had check to make sure he hadn't broken out of jail. She had even called the jail once, asking about suspicious activity. They had nothing for her.

Which meant, of course, that he must have had an accomplice. The only problem with that theory was that Adonis had never appeared to have an alliance with anyone other than his own reflection.

She shoved all of these negative thoughts from her mind with force. None of that would help her meditate. She folded her legs and closed her eyes, carefully uttering her mantra once, twice, and then a third time. She still seemed to be alone in her head. She slowly eased herself into a more relaxed mindset, though she never truly let go of her paranoia. This hindered her meditation just a bit, but not enough that she would let her guard down.

She blew out a breath as she felt the weight of her stress alleviate slightly, clearing her mind more than it had been in days. She was just settling into a comfortable little niche, perfectly between a let and completely relaxed, when someone knocked on her door.

Gritting her teeth in irritation, Raven set her feet against her plush gray carpet, heading to the door. She allowed it to slide open a crack, frowning when she saw Nightwing standing there.

"Listen, Raven. I'm here to apologize. I'm sorry I've been so pushy, I guess- I guess I'm just worried about you," he apologized quickly. Raven nodded, already about to accept his apology when he added, "But I still think you're wrong, and that you need to tell me what's going on. Will you-"

At this, she moved to slam her bedroom door, only stopping when she caught the pleading look on her leader's face. Sighing heavily, she stopped her motion and asked, "Will I what?"

Nightwing motioned for her to follow him, and she, after contemplating her choices, sulked along behind him to the case room.

He gestured at the little television set, indicating that he wanted her to watch. She crossed her arms defensively, but nodded for him to play whatever it was he wanted her to see.

It was footage of their battle with Adonis.

She wanted to look away, and yet that woukd make it obvious she had something to hide. On the little screen, she saw herself and Gar, who was quickly discarded, before Adonis focused all of his attention on her. She watched as his lewd words, though there wasn't any audio, snapped her concentration and he dove at her. Nightwing paused it just there.

"Now this scene," he began, "I've already watched a hundred times. At first, I thought he kissed you, and that's why you snapped. But no, no the angle was wrong. So I had to construct a new theory. Did he touch you the wrong way? That was my second guess, especially knowing about your mother."

He shook his head. "That was wrong, too. So I studied every single muscle movement in this frame, and I figured it out," he said. With absolutely no warning, he yanked her towards him, not too roughly, by her waist, and pressed her back against the desk, using his free hand to tug the collar of her shirt down to expose the angry reddish splotch on the juncture between her neck and shoulder. "He bit you."

Though Nightwing had already guessed this and decided it was correct, he was still stunned to see the offending remnant for himself.

Raven was absolutely furious, and clenched her teeth to avoid letting that rage show. "Yes, he did."

"But there's some sort of magical force behind it, or you could have healed yourself," he added. "What did he do to you?"

A row of light bulbs burst into a shower of sparks and glass fragments, and Raven tightened her hand into a fist. "While the technical term is _Marked,_ the colloquialisms _branded_ and _claimed_ work just as well," she said flatly, the fury in her voice carefully muted.

It was Nightwing's turn to be upset. "Elaborate," he ordered her shortly, crossing his arms.

"When he became the Beast creature, he developed an entirely new set of instincts to coexist with his previous ones. These instincts are along the line of destroy, acquire, and mate. This particular species, in an effort to remain both existent and strong, mates with the alpha female of the area which, apparently, would be me," she told him slowly, doing her best to resist the urge to fly down to the penitentiary and throttle him. Talking about it was only making her more angry.

"The first male to claim her apparently gets to take her for his own. In Adonis' sick, twisted little mind, I belong to him," she hissed, her composure slipping just a bit. She twisted so she was facing away from him, trying to shield herself from his prying eyes and pitied look.

Nightwing took a breath, trying to process all of this. "The ritual-"

"Was a failed attempt to separate myself from him, yes," Raven interrupted.

"And Gar-"

"Knows? Yes. He could. . . he could still smell his scent on me, weeks later. He figured it out," she answered. She supposed if he knew anything at all, he may as well know everything.

"Why wouldn't you tell us?" he asked.

Raven looked away, her jaw tight. "Because it's ridiculous. Humiliating. I've been reduced to what is essentially someone else's property," she said curtly, still not meeting his gaze. Of course, there was also the worry that they would come to the same realization she had through research, that she could only be helped by Gar. Of course Gar would feel obligated, and she didn't want that. She was certain she would figure something else out. Of course, now that both Gar and Night wing knew, there was no use hiding it anymore. A secret is hard enough to keep between two people; keeping it between three would be nearly impossible.

"We wouldn't look at you any differently," Nightwing told her softly.

She quickly snapped her gaze back to his. "You don't understand. _I'm_ looking at myself differently. I'm weaker, I'm more temperamental. He was _in my head,_ Nightwing. I can dimly feel what he feels. This mark is almost like the bond between the two of us, except it's not mutual. He is completely in control. If not for the walls I'd built, he would be a constant presence in my head, and yet I can't get into his." Her voice was a bit harsher than her normal monotone, and slightly more pained.

We'll figure something out, Raven." Her leader was sure, though the darkness looming in her head didn't quite seem to agree.

* * *

 _Soon. Soon, soon, soon. It was nearly time for them to be together, he was sure. She was going to be his, and he hers._

 _He would do with her as he pleased, and she would enjoy every second of it. He was stronger in her mind each day, and yet she didn't even seem to notice him. Didn't seem to consider him a threat to her in the slightest. Of course, she was correct. He would never harm her._

 _He would only take what was his._

Far from the tower, deep in Jump City, there was a horrible growling, tearing sound, immediately followed by the concrete wall of a building being broken down. Alarms blared and search lights flashed, yet still, just like that, prisoner 386 was gone.

* * *

 **Hello! Alright, so I'll be honest here; I myself feel kind of awkward about this chapter, but it was needed as kind of a segue. It also feels a bit forced, but that's because I literally had to drag this chapter from my brain kicking and screaming, because I have had no inspiration lately, but I really want to start updating monthly.**

 **Please give me all your feedback, both good and bad, so the next chapter can be better!**

 **As always, with love,**

 **LBB**


	5. Controlled

**Hello! So, I'm very pleased by the fact that my last chapter got** ** _such_** **good reviews, especially with how I personally felt about it. It's nice to know that people can find positives in my writings even when I can't.**

 **Also, due to a lack in WiFi, I have typed this entire chapter (almost) on my phone, so I apologize in advance for. . . everything. It's always been much harder for me to be creative on my phone, because my brain doesn't seem to think as well.**

 **Anywhosen, ON WITH THE STORY.**

* * *

Raven went to her room after her little heart-to-heart with her leader, deciding that she could use nothing more than some alone time, meditation, and tea. It was easier than it had been the time before, and in fact, she could hardly feel Adonis hedging at the corners of her mind. Perhaps he was giving up, knowing that he was in jail and she would never submit to him.

Even thinking that to herself sounded wrong. Although she didn't credit Adonis for being particularly intelligent, she _did_ know him to be stubborn and persistent to the point of driving her mad. It was doubtful that he had simply given up. No, no, it would be much more sensible to think that he was biding his time, stewing, thinking about something to do.

But _what_? Because, again, he was not the sharpest tool in the shed. What could he possibly be planning? The idea that he had some trick up his sleeve disturbed her, especially because of the way he had been carving the word _mine_ over her possessions without her knowing how he did it. She was still thinking about this when she heard a knock on her door, and rose from her position on the bed to answer it. It was Gar, his head cocked to the side in confusion as he leaned against her doorframe.

"You gave in?" he asked, her eyebrow furrowing. Raven shrugged.

"Not exactly. It was a matter of minutes before he figured it out himself; I just didn't bother delaying the process any further," she explained, tucking her hair behind her ear. "How did you find out?" she questioned, one eyebrow arching curiously. She certainly hadn't told him, and why would Nightwing seek him out to do so?

"Boy Wonder just told me our probation was over, and I put two and two together," he responded simply. Oh. That answer was perfectly logical. Why did she seem to be overthinking everything lately?

Perhaps it was just the paranoia of having someone entering her head without an invitation.

"Well, I guess that means the rest of the team will know soon, and that means everyone will be trying to help you whether you want it or not," added the green-eyed male before her. She wanted to kick him, both for being right and for sounding so smug about it.

"Whatever. Goodnight, Gar," she said dismissively, beginning to slide the door shut.

Of course, Gar threw his arm out to stop her, giving a sharp cry of, "Wait!" She gave him a look of utter exasperation.

"Yes?" she deadpanned, her eyes narrowed.

"I really _do_ want to help you, Rae. I know this must suck for you. The Beast lives in my head, too, but he's pretty dormant, so I can only imagine what it's like to have Adonis, his beast, and your own inner demons up there," he said, reaching his hand up to brush his finger tips across her forehead and back to twist in the silky strands of her hair. "Let me help. I promise to only look through what you give me, and I'll do my best not to overstep any boundaries," he pleaded, looking down at her hopefully.

She stared at him for a long moment, stunned by his speech, before muttering a quick "I'll consider it" and shutting the door.

She was surprised. He sounded piercingly sincere, absolutely no jokes at all. If she was being honest with herself, she might actually consider it. She still didn't think she would say yes, but she would consider it.

With those thoughts still on her mind, she got into bed and shut off her lights, falling into an easy, dreamless sleep.

Until the sirens went off.

Raven hated very few things more than being woken up in the night. After years of being plagued by terrible nightmares about how she would bring about the end of the world, and then of the event itself, she all but cherished a solid night of sleep. So, as the emergency alarm began blaring, she hoped whatever villain that had enough gall to rouse her from her slumber was prepared to deal with her wrath.

After her little discussion with Nightwing, both she and Gar had been taken off of suspension, though she wished the villain attacking had given her a while to recover from days of rigorous training. She reluctantly dragged herself from the warmth and comfort of her bed, waving her hand to change into her uniform. The raven haired sorceress gave a mighty sigh, levitating herself to the common room.

To her surprise, Nightwing looked much more grim than irritated, which worried her a little bit. What happened that was so terrible that their leader didn't look even the slightest bit upset about being awoken from his sleep?

"We have a situation. Someone is downtown wreaking havoc with what seems to be no goal in mind at all other than attention," Nightwing started, gesturing to the monitor behind him where photos of debris and videos of buildings crumbling were displayed. "We need to stop them and put them back in jail as soon as possible so they can't do even more damage and hurt someone."

Raven glanced between the items displayed on the monitor, wondering who the culprit was.

As if voicing her concerns, Gar asked, "Who's out there making a general mess now? Plasmus? Cinderblock?"

Raven got the feeling that Nightwing was avoiding looking in her direction on purpose.

"Adonis."

* * *

The car ride downtown was tense, with Gar trying to fill Cyborg and Starfire in on why five windows shattered when Raven found out Adonis had escaped from prison, and how it tied in to her odd behavior and suspension over the past weeks.

"So, Raven and Adonis are. . . betrothed?" Starfire asked, attempting to riddle out exactly what had happened.

Cyborg shook his head. "No, it sounds more like. . . a pet owner and a dog," he countered. The back windows cracked. "Sorry," he muttered to Raven, wincing away from her anger. It seemed that it was taking everything in her not to unleash her rage, though no one was sure her careful control would last very long after she saw Adonis.

The T-Car pulled to a stop before a large brick building, or, more accurately, the remains of one. Large chunks of it had been smashed to bits, almost as if by a wrecking ball, or something with equal force.

"Gar," Nightwing said, but the other man had already shifted into a bloodhound to track the scent. When he changed back, he appeared crestfallen, his eyes landing on Raven.

"We aren't tracking a hunk of metal this time. We're tracking the beast," he said softly, though the words still hit Raven like a punch to the gut. That had been his master plan. To unleash all the power he had and come after her; to forcibly take her, if he could.

Raven clenched her jaw with steely resolve, her eyes hard. "Then lets go find the bastard," she hissed, shooting up into the sky to scan the city for traces of the animal they searched for. "There," she called down, heading off in the direction she had pointed to without another word. The four looked between each other for a second, each with the same worry and fear for their friend. Gar was the first to finally start moving, shifting into a falcon and flying after his friend.

Starfire caught up with her first, catching Raven by the wrist as they got closer. "Friend, perhaps it would be best if you remained back. I do not wish to see you harmed," the alien woman said softly, her eyes wide with nothing but concern.

"He's not going to hurt me. He has. . . other plans," Raven replied, seething with barely contained fury.

"But friend, please. Let us handle this one."

Raven simply yanked her wrist away and continued tracking Adonis, trying to ignore the wave of hurt that rolled away from Starfire. She knew what she was talking about; Adonis wouldn't want to hurt her whether he was the Beast or not. He would want to claim her.

She finally pinpointed his location and simply portaled herself there, tired of giving chase. She wanted to put him back in the cell he belonged in for doing what he did.

The animal was throwing cars out of its way like a child having a temper tantrum, growling at the few civilians peaking out of bedroom windows to have a look.

"Adonis," she snapped, and the large, russet brown beast whipped its head toward the sound of her voice, dropping the car it held back into place by the curb.

 _She was there. She had gotten his message, and she had come to him, alone. He knew she would. She wanted him just like he wanted her._

It gave her a menacing, wolfish grin before pouncing in her direction, and she barely managed to duck out of the way. Before Raven could retaliate, a green starbolt shot out the sky and hit the beast, disorienting it for a moment. The woman who shot it followed not far behind, her foot connecting with the animal's face as he attempted to gain his bearings.

 _Why?! Why were they always interfering with his plans? He had her! Who were they to try to prevent them from being together?_

"I have this," Raven growled, turning to glare as the rest of her team appeared.

"This isn't just your fight, and Adonis isn't only your problem. Don't forget that we're a team," Nightwing quipped in reply, his eyes cold. He was upset with her for heading off on her own again.

"I realize that."

"No, I don't think you do." She could feel the rage pouring from him with the force of a tsunami, but she refused to show the way it affected her. "I took you off of probation because I thought you could handle this. Do not make me regret that decision. Get in control or get back to the tower," he finished, his voice leaving no room for argument.

She turned from him then, forcing herself to calm down so she could end this fight quickly. She needed a walk, she needed to go back to sleep, she needed to meditate, she needed tea. Not precisely in that order.

Releasing a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, she visualized her attack and called out her mantra, "Azarath, metrion, zin-" She was interrupted when a stray bit of debris caused in the chaos of the battle knocked into her, pinning her to the sidewalk and knocking her out.

 _No! What had hit her? She couldn't be hurt. That wasn't the plan! No, no. . . she wasn't badly hurt. Just unconscious. He could work with this._

Though the fight still raged on, Gar leaped to her side in an instant, pushing the broken parking meter from her chest and sitting her up to be sure she was breathing. "Rae? Raven, wake up," he tried, peeling her eyelids back. It was no use. She was out cold.

"Starfire!" he called. The red-haired woman pulled herself from the fray, understanding his meaning. Protect Raven while he went back into the fight. With his animalistic instincts and understanding of the Beast, he was their best fighter.

The three men struggled with the beast despite Gar's talents, neither side truly gaining the upper hand. Gar swiped at the animals head with one claw, but was prevented as a wall of black energy flew up in defense of the Beast.

"Raven, what are you _doing_?" Nightwing asked incredulously, turning to her for an explanation. But she was still laying on the concrete, out cold. Cyborg aimed his sonic cannon, oblivious to the confusion until another field of energy caused it to bounce back at him. Nightwing's eyebrow furrowed with bewilderment. "What in hell is going on?" he muttered, glancing from Raven to Adonis and back again.

It wasn't until he caught the look of complete concentration of the Beast's face that he figured it out.

"Stop!" he called, waving Gar and Cyborg back from another attack. "Starfire, do whatever you can to wake Raven up. Until then, we can't touch him," he ordered.

His teammates looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean? What's the problem?" Cyborg asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nightwing gestured between the Beast and Raven. "Because she's completely unconscious, he seems to be able to get into her mind and use her powers," he explained stonily, trying to hide just how appalled he was.

Gar, on the other hand, didn't care who knew his emotions. "He's _what_?" he roared, whirling to face Adonis. Despite his leader's warning, he charged Adonis, shifting from animal to animal so fast he wasn't even sure what he changed into anymore. He slashed and punched and snapped his jaws, growling in frustration as he kept hitting that wall of energy.

He was seeing red at this point, his fury unfurling with the power of an earthquake. He wasn't sure what had set him off, whether it was everything Adonis had done to Raven and that was the tip of the iceberg or it was his own unresolved issues with the villain, but soon a shudder ripped through him and he heard the seams of his suit splitting as he grew to become the Beast.

He was more animal than human at this point, his consciousness taking a backseat to that of the creature he had turned into, which was still trying to rip through Raven's energy field. He felt that energy beginning to wane, as Adonis obviously didn't have the same control over it that Raven would, and continued attacking, his red-hot anger being the only thing to keep him going.

But before Gar knew it, he was being contained in the energy field, though it wasn't by Adonis, who seemed to be in the same boat.

The Beast that possessed a green hue cocked his head to the side, staring with interest at the raven-haired woman detaining him. Something about her was familiar, and he yearned to protect her despite the fact that she obviously didn't need it.

But her attention wasn't on him. No, she was glaring at his opponent with a hatred that burned hotter than a thousand suns, and then some.

 _He had her full attention. She was going to submit to him. He was simply certain about it._

"I am going to murder you," she said. Her voice was as monotone as ever, but her eyes seemed to be glowing with actual flames, and her face was twisted into a vicious snarl.

 _What? Was she putting on a show for her former comrades? Was this all an act, a show? She couldn't mean it!_

"I am going to rip you apart, limb from limb, and if I kill myself in the process, so be it!"

 _She meant it_.

Raven lunged for the reddish-brown Beast then, her hands extended and curled into claws so she could wrap them around his neck. Strong, darkly tanned arms grasped her, but Raven thrashed and kicked and lashed out until Starfire was forced to let go. But her arms were immediately replaced with another set. This set had none of the power, not even half the strength, but four times the muscle and ten times the effect.

"Relax," Nightwing said in her ear, and she did, the rage fizzling out of her at that one word. She sagged against his chest, her hands curling into fists. Her hold on both men released, and Adonis took off immediately, going only Azar-knows where, while Gar, still in the form of the beast, padded over to nudge Raven curiously. When she didn't move, he sat back on his haunches, staring at her in silence.

In his preoccupation, he didn't see Cyborg aiming for him and shooting a dart out of his hand to reverse Gar's transformation. The beast shrank back into the man, who swayed from side to side dizzily before slumping forward, unconscious. Without Nightwing having to ask, Cyborg loaded Gar into the car and drove back to the tower to make sure all of his vitals were normal and Starfire started to scan the city for signs of Adonis.

Wordlessly, and so fast Nightwing didn't have time to blink, Raven had transported them to the tower, sitting in the common room. Her shoulders were stiff with tension, her fists clenched so tight her pale knuckles had become white as bone.

"Safe room. Please." Her words were no louder than a whisper of wind, and her friend immediately complied, scooping her into his arms and carrying her down the hallway and to the bunker they had built for her all those years ago.

The moment the door slid shut behind them, her shouldered began shaking, and it took him a moment to realize she was sobbing. Nightwing, unsure of any other way to comfort his friend, simply held onto her and let her cry until she told him to leave. Even then, he protested, but in the end decided to respect her wishes and leave. He stayed in the watch room though, just to be sure he could be there if she needed him.

* * *

When Garfield woke up almost an hour after the fight, he could tell something wasn't right. He jerked up in the bed, wincing as that pulled at the different wires and needles that had been attached to him.

"Woah, man. Calm down. No fire," Cyborg said, walking over with a clipboard.

Gar chuckled a bit. "Give me a verdict, doc," he replied, attempting to stretch without tugging any more machines.

"Well, all of your vitals look like they're normal. A little irregular brain activity, but I'm guessing that was just your mind trying to get back to the controls," he teased, tapping his emerald-colored friend's head. "How do you feel?" he asked, setting the clipboard down and crossing his arms.

"Fine, I think. My head is buzzing, but the Beast really did take control back there," he admitted, running a hand through his hair as his mostly-metal companion began removing needles and other attachments. "How's Raven? I vaguely remember her being pissed- more so than she was before, and then. . . I don't know. Claws. Raven's energy. So much _anger_ ," he recalled, his brow furrowing.

Cyborg shrugged. "She's having a rough time coping with the idea that Adonis was able to control her while she was unconscious. She's in the safe room now, just as a precaution, I think. I'm sure she'll be fine," the man assured his green friend, who nodded.

"Yeah. You're probably right. Raven's tough. She'll be okay," Gar agreed, nodding and standing from the little cot.

Oven the next two days, there was still no sign of Adonis. They had every monitor and camera running on full power, and yet, not one sighting of him. How one could lose a three hundred-plus pund beast that was at least ten feet tall, no one could quite figure out. Everyone tried not to worry to much.

It was difficult, though, because while Adonis was missing, Raven hadn't left from where she'd taken up post in the safe room, except for quick bathroom breaks when no one was around to stop her from returning. She didn't even eat, as far as her teammates could tell.

Gar sitting on the couch simply to avoid nervously pacing the floor like a maniac, lest he look like Nightwing, when Cyborg walked in from checking on Raven.

"How is she?" the verdant-colored man asked eagerly, barely giving his companion enough time to fully step through the door.

Cyborg avoided his gaze. "Not good, man. Star's been tryna get her to open the door to the safe room for three hours now without a break, and Raven won't budge. Nightwing says she needs to be left alone."

Gar stood quickly, ignoring the swell of doubt about what he was going to do. "I'm gonna- I'm gonna go check on her. Give Star a reprieve to get some new ideas on cheering Raven up," he said, leaving the room before his friend could protest. He moved quickly, anxious to check on Raven. He was trying to convince himself that his worry for his friend was of the easy, platonic sort, but the pain in his chest and a niggling little voice at the back of his brain wasn't in agreement with that. He told the voice to shut up.

When Gar reached the safe room, Starfire was clearing her throat in preparation to sing Raven a song from Tamaran that was meant to cheer her up. He was glad he go there in time to prevent that.

"Uhh, Star? I don't know if music is what's best for her right now. Maybe you could go to her favorite bookstore downtown and get her a new book?" he suggested gently, doing his best not to sound like he was trying to get rid of her.

Starfire's face lit up. "Oh, friend, that is the brightest of ideas! I am sure new reading material will fill our friend with the joy," she cried merrily. She pulled Gar into a bone crushing hug, and he grunted in surprise before she let him go and floated off to head downtown.

Once she had gone, Gar sauntered over to the door, leaning his back against the door and closing his eyes. Even though he was certain she wouldn't want to talk to him, especially not after she hadn't uttered a peep to Starfire, but he had to try. She always tried for him.

"Rae?" he called. No response. "Raven, c'mon. I know you want to be left alone. I get it," he began. He couldn't even hear if she was moving around or not.

"I know what you must be feeling like. Angry. Confused. Broken. Lost. Because he took control of you, without your permission. He barged into your head, and he wielded you like a puppet, didn't he?" Gar paused, sliding his gloved fingers into his hair and letting them tangle there. "I know what it's like. It's how you feel when Rage takes over, but a thousand times worse. It's how you felt during the end of the world, like a prisoner in your own head, while someone else took the controls. Took control of you; took control of your life."

Unexpectedly, he heard the sound of her voice, rough and gentle, from the other side of the door. "How do you know all of that?"

The corner of his mouth quirked up into a sad, knowing smile. "Because I've been there, Rae. It's how I feel every time the Beast takes over. It's involuntary. I have to give over to _his_ primal instincts, whether I want to or not, and when I finally come back, I can never remember it," he responded softly. He could head a bit of motion, like she was readjusting to hear him better. "It's probably worse for you, because it isn't a part of you. Even with Rage, it's just a loss of control, not a loss of yourself.

"What Adonis did, he. . . he barged into you most sacred domain without permission, and that's one of the worst things that can happen to you. I know. I've done it." He heard a sharp exhale, and, with his eyes closed, he could see her. It wasn't a laugh, but about as close as he could get to one. His smile became a but more genuine. "But he didn't just parade around and cause a ruckus, he forced your actions and made you feel like you would never be safe. Not in your room, where I know he's been messing with your stuff. Not in your mind, because he's broken into that, too. Now, not even your body is safe from his demands."

He tipped his head back and let his arms fall to his sides, his shaggy green hair drooping away from his face. "I know you don't want help, Raven. But I know how you feel. I know what's it's like to feel like you've lost all of your control, and to just want a way to fix things. But hiding is _not_ the way to do it. And if you let me, I'll help you."

He heard a soft sigh from the other side of the door, as if Raven was exasperated, or resigned, and the the offending object swooshed open, causing him to fall back and land on the ground at Raven's feet. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were red-rimmed and had dark circles beneath them. But her gaze was like steel.

"We're going to need books."

* * *

 **Well, _that_ chapter was an emotional roller coaster. For all of those who believed even for a _second_ that this was ever going to be one of those over done rape-fics, I am so _damn_ offended. Obviously, you haven't been here long. Even though some of my older works are crappy, they aren't stereotypical. Please don't put me in someone else's box. **

**Beyond that, please tell me what you thought of this chapter because I enjoyed writing it, even though it was rough. I am also very sorry that it was a few days late, but like I said at the beginning, I was trying to do this on my phone.**

 **I love all of my readers so much, and I appreciate you and all of your reviews.**

 **With love,  
~LBB**


	6. Hunted

So first of all, I am so, so sorry that this chapter is late! I have no internet at home, so I'm incapable of typing this up there.

Also, I apologize if this doesn't live up to expectations due to the fact that I'm trying to get as much done in just a little time as I can. To make up for it, this chapter is a bit longer than the others.

Thank you so much for your lovely reviews, by the way!

Anywhosen, ON WITH THE STORY!

* * *

 _How was it that she didn't desire him? He needed her if he wanted any chance at survival, but she didn't. Worse, she seemed to actually_ dislike _him. The thought was nearly unfathomable, and yet it was true all the same. How was he supposed to have her if she wouldn't submit?_

 _Simple. He would just have to take her from them by force. And if he couldn't have her, nobody could._

* * *

 **He had never noticed before how wantable she was. How sinfully desirable.**

 **He wanted to devour her. He wanted to ravish her. He wanted to cherish her.**

 **He wanted to _have_ her.**

* * *

Raven finally left the safe room. She was cautious about it, not spending too long outside of it for the first few days. At this point, she was only going back in there to sleep. It would seem that Adonis could have some kind of control over her when she was asleep, but the safe room blocked out any magic whatsoever.

In her time out of the room, she did a lot of re-reading books she had read before in search of something she missed, giving Gar any books that didn't mention a mark. While that happened, her friends scoured the Earth, and even some other planets and dimensions, for any books that she didn't yet have. They poured in, but it rarely had new answers for her.

She was stretched across the floor of her bedroom, Gar leaned back against her bed as the pair dove into the newest shipment of books. After an hour of reading and coming up empty, Gar sighed, shoving the book on his lap to the side.

"Rae, have you even considered that maybe we need to look, you know, outside of books?" he asked her, pushing his hand through his hair in frustration. They had been at this for days, and searched through over three hundred books in that time, and _nothing_. They still had absolutely nothing.

Raven made an exasperated noise of her own, lowering her hand and with it, the six books her magic was helping her read at once. "Maybe. But where would we even start looking that isn't a book?" she responded evenly, tipping her head back an rubbing her temples.

Gar's eyebrows crumpled in thought. He hadn't considered that angle. Before he could come up with an adequate response, Raven's eyes seemed to light up with an idea.

"The authors!" she stated, sitting up ramrod straight. "The authors have to know more than they put in their books. Right? Because in books they only write what they can prove, but they must have heard rumors." For the first time in days, she seemed to have a flicker of hope in her expression, as if something might actually help her.

Happy to see that she still wasn't giving up, Gar stood, holding out a hand to her. "Well, then, let's go tell the team," he said, a small grin on his lips. Raven took his hand and allowed her friend to help her to her feet, sliding her hand from his as they began walking to the common room. She didn't move away, though, which to Gar, was a relief. After so much time spent together, her pulling away would only be a bad thing.

They stepped into the Titans' lounge space together, and Raven was momentarily stunned by the flurry of movement. Mas y Menos were darting from person to person, delivering books and addresses and anything else their friends needed. Bee was studying the cork board, checking off places they had already been and scribbling down the places they still needed books from. Nightwing was talking to Jinx and Argent, trying to glean what they'd learned from the books they'd read and what new places they had found out about. For a moment, she was nearly overwhelmed with her gratitude and love for her friends and what they were doing for her.

Gar cleared his throat loudly, but if anyone heard him, they didn't respond. "Guys!" he called, though again, no one even paused.

Annoyance flashed through him, and in the blink of an eye he'd shifted into a lion. He let out a vicious snarl, gathering the attention of the room. Raven, almost without thinking about it, placed her hand in the green creature's mane.

She ignored the seemingly satisfied rumble that came from his chest, clearing her throat. Before people could get distracted again, Raven quickly started explaining their plan.

"We know that this far, we've gotten practically nothing. At least, nothing that we didn't already know about this stupid curse," she began. She flicked her wrist and a floating list of things appeared, made of her magic energy. The list included _Possession_ , _Power Stealing_ , and _Invasion._

"We were thinking that all of these books hold the same general information, the same ideas. But they also hold only the facts," she pointed out. "They don't have any of the authors' speculations, any of their theories, because they couldn't be proven and they wouldn't want to advertise false information. But if we could talk to the _authors. . ._ " she allowed her voice to trail off into silence, the implications of her words hanging in the air.

An uncomfortable mutter passed through her comrades, people shifting as words such as _insane, impossible,_ and _crazy_ drifted up to Raven's ears. She felt herself deflate just slightly. Of course her friends loved her, but it was also an insane idea. She had known it was a long shot, that they had been working hard for days and would only have to work harder to find the authors. She had anticipated this reluctance, this desire of theirs to get back to their own lives.

Before their dissent could become too boisterous, Nightwing stepped forward to be seen.

"We know it isn't much to go on, and that some of these authors are probably better hidden than their books were. But it's all we have to go on for now. Hopefully, it can lead us to more answers, if not give them to us directly," he said, moving to stand opposite of Gar on Raven's left.

He had a stern scowl set on his features, and Raven could feel waves of protective concern rolling off of him.

"We shouldn't even have to think about this, guys. Because if it was any one of us, Raven would already be looking," he added, to which people nodded vigorously, some glancing around in embarrassment. Nightwing had spurred them into action easily, and the room was already moving once more. Searching for authors via web, phone book, and whatever other means they could find.

* * *

It was a painstakingly slow going process.

If Raven had thought she was discouraged before, it was nothing compared to the hopelessness she now felt. Hopelessness that was only coupled with the burning pain beneath her skin caused by her distance from Adonis. At this point, it was constant, full moon or no full moon. It was a cord cutting into her wrist, biting through the flesh. It was poison in her veins, setting every nerve ending on fire and destroying her cells. It was a slow and painful death from the inside that no one could see, one she couldn't talk about for fear of what her friends would do.

She knew Nightwing too well, and knew his solution would be keeping Adonis close enough that the pain was lessened, but even if she felt better physically, Raven was certain she'd feel worse if Adonis was in close proximity.

Not that doing such would be easy, as they'd yet to find Adonis since their last run-in with him, which seemed to be part of her problem.

She was up on the roof meditating, where she'd been for at least two hours. She was focusing on the sun that touched her skin, not the fire that ran through it. Downstairs, there was too much movement, too much noise, too many emotions. And despite how much she appreciated her friends' assistance, it was killing her. It was as if her entire body had a migraine that was sensitive to being alive. The longer it lasted, the more she felt like the only thing she could do was meditate, and even that was a struggle to accomplish.

She dragged in a deep breath through shaky lungs, pushing a hand through her hair and squeezing her eyes shut.

 _"_ Focus, Raven," she mumbled to herself. She cleared her mind as best she could, blocking out the pain and the racing through her veins. She began chanting her mantra, both mentally and verbally. She let the words wash over her, sliding over her skin and mind like a salve and distancing her from anything that wasn't, well, _her_. It was a temporary release, yes, but for this short time, she was free of the wracking pains and excruciating itches.

While she was this focused, she took the opportunity to reach out with her mind, searching for answers. It was as if, within her own brain, she had a cork-board heavily laden with red string, photographs, and information, and inspected it from every angle she thought was possible. But no matter how hard she looked and pondered, she could only come up with two solutions.

Death by extremely painful means, or Garfield.

For most people, the answer would be obvious. Who would chose death over someone as sweet and helpful and Garfield Logan?

Then again, Raven wasn't most people. She didn't want to tell him because, like they all did as heroes, Gar would feel obligated to save her from Adonis by becoming her new mate. She couldn't allow him to tie himself to her in a way that was so permanent just because of a sense of _obligation_. It wasn't his responsibility to save her, and she wouldn't let him ruin his life like that. She wouldn't let them both be tied down in such an irreversible way.

No, no. If she couldn't figure out a solution to save herself without having to resort to _that_ , then she would readily accept death.

Despite what she had expected, Raven felt a pang of sadness at the thought. She had assumed that it would be easy to come to terms with her own death. After all, she had expected to die years ago, and she had accepted that from the day she was old enough to understand it. This should be no different.

Except for the fact that it _was_. She hadn't realized it at the time, but after she didn't die when the world almost ended, she had let herself hope. She let herself hope that she could grow old, still have friends, maybe, _possibly_ , even have a family. She had let herself have just a tiny bit of hope for her future, and now it was crushed like a fly against a dashboard.

She took a long breath in and pushed those thoughts aside, swallowing down her sadness. It was just distracting her from finding another solution. There was something there, she just knew it. It was just impossible to put her finger on-

"Adonis!" the name exploded from her mouth without warning, shock wracking through her body and knocking her to the hard concrete of the roof. It had been a sudden sensation, and she didn't quite know what had happened. It was a flash of something strange, a glimpse of woods and Titans' tower from a distance, Raven standing alone atop it, and a feeling of boiling rage and overwhelming desire, all of which she somehow knew belonged to Adonis. Her first thought was that he was here, now, watching her. He was out there, too close.

She placed her hand on her communicator, activating her silent alarm to call only Nightwing and Gar up to the roof. If she alerted everyone, he would scamper right back to whatever hole he'd been hiding in. No, Nightwing could move with all the stealth she needed at the moment, and Gar had the heightened senses. Now that she knew he was there, she swore she could feel his eyes on her, and turned toward the edge of the city, where it faded back into the forest right before meeting the beach.

Raven wasn't sure if she was in control of her emotions or not, if the thoughts popping into her head belonged to her or Rage.

She didn't care.

Once she had locked on to where she was almost sure the feeling of his gaze was coming from, she took off. She heard the door to the roof open, Nightwing and Gar both ready to attack whatever had caused her to set off the alarm. She froze after a moment, halfway between the tower and the woods. She heard Nightwing calling her name and the flap of Gar's wings as he flew to her side, but her eyes never shifted from where she was certain Adonis was.

The closer she had gotten, the more of his emotions slammed into her. She could sense his rage and frustration, could almost taste his desire for her in the back of her mouth. That, she had expected. What she hadn't expected was to feel similar emotions rolling from the green man behind her. His emotions were significantly more in control, but she could feel them nonetheless. An undertone of resentment and blood-lust, challenge and fury. But underneath that thin veil were two more emotions, the two that gave her pause and shocked her out of her advance towards Adonis. She could sense a quiet lust and a tone of jealousy beneath Gar's bitterness, and they tore her from her stupor.

Her eyes flashed to the hawk that circled her, devoid of any emotion. Wordlessly, she vanished into a swoosh of her black magic, back to the roof and to Nightwing.

Even when Raven went back, Gar remained. He couldn't pinpoint Adonis's location the way Raven had seemed to, but he could sense him nonetheless. He knew that he had yet to leave. He circled for a while before flying back to the tower. He didn't go in, simply dropped like a stone to the surrounding beaches and stared out at the forest.

It wasn't until much later, curled up in her bed with a cap of tea, when her second thought finally hit her.

She could see into Adonis's mind.

* * *

 **He knew. He knew that he was out there, waiting for a chance to strike, watching with baited breath. He could feel him.**

 _Suddenly, he knew. He realized that whatever had happened during their last encounter, something had changed. He wasn't the only one who felt it now._

 **He couldn't let him have her. No, there was no way he would let that happen. She would never belong to a monster like him while he was still standing.**

 _This made things fun, but it also made things complicated. If the mutt'd been fighting for her before, without truly knowing why he was fighting or exactly what he was fighting for, it would be interesting to see what he'd be like when he finally had all the information._

 **How had he ever let him get so close? It wouldn't happen again. Now that he knew that he was lurking, he'd be more prepared. Constant vigilance.**

 _He wouldn't have too much fun, though. After all, he had a mission to complete._

 **No matter what, she would become-**

 _He was going to make her-_

 ** _His._**

* * *

The following day, Raven avoided Gar all morning. Normally, it was him that she spent her time with when searching through books, because he kept the mood light and was great at providing her with an angle of thought that she hadn't previously considered.

But, in lieu of the previous day's events, she thought it might be best to keep her distance. Instead, she grabbed Kid Flash and Speedy, as well as half of the contents of the fridge because she knew Wally would never quit whining otherwise, and searched with the two of them while she thought about Gar.

She had to admit, it was much less fun than it was when she was with Gar, not that she'd ever admit such out loud. As old friends tended to, Speedy and Kid Flash teased each other and made crude jokes and generally grated on her nerves, but she knew she couldn't do this alone. They both had interesting perspectives, in the rare moments she could get them to focus, and would be so much more useful if they'd only quiet down. After a little while longer, she started to feel twitchy and annoyed with their presence, but she didn't want to explode on them. After all, she knew it wasn't really them she was angry with; it was her whole situation.

That thought in mind, she slipped out of the room so she could head down to the gym and train. She could use the stress relief.

Gar, on the other hand, had scarcely been more freaked out by himself in his life. He hadn't slept a wink the night before, not after he'd pulled himself together and took note of all the thoughts that'd been rushing through his head. Thought about Raven.

It didn't make any sense to him. Sure, he thought Raven was pretty. Beautiful, even. Yes, she smelled wonderful and she was funny when she wanted to be and had a great smile, but so did a lot of women. Yeah, she was stubborn and strong willed and determined to a fault. So what? Why should he care?

He shook his head and continued pacing.

Ridiculous. It was absolutely ridiculous that he should be having those thought about _Raven_ , of all people. Not that she wasn't great within her own right, but she was standoffish and sullen and could probably kill him with a flick of her wrist if she so chose. In a way, he was terrified of her.

But even so, she wasn't his type. He usually went for delicate framed and dopey, for cute and fun. Raven was the exact opposite. Despite her feminine curves, she had lean muscles from years of training, as well as a scattering thin scars even her healing couldn't remove. She wasn't cute, either; puppies and babies were cute. Raven was beautiful and enticing and alluring. She was strong and sarcastic and quick-witted.

So why couldn't he shake this feeling? This feeling of- of an overwhelming _need_ to possess Raven. It existed in the back of his mind now, near-constant, but almost as if they weren't his thoughts. He couldn't even say he wanted her, because he wasn't sure if that was true. But he did need her. His blood itself seemed to be calling for hers. He wanted to have her, to keep her, to own her.

Which was absolute insanity, of course. No one owned Raven, because Raven was her own person.

He growled in frustration and slammed his hand against the wall. He needed to move. He needed to be _doing something_.

He was going to go train.

He left his room and stepped into the training room, only to be met with Raven and that all-too-familiar tug in his gut. From the looks of it, she had only just started, barely sweating yet. She was warming up, really, using her powers to snap projectiles out of the air with all the efficiency of a cat scooping up mice. He considered leaving, he'd been trying not to interact with her all day because of his awkward feelings. Of course he wanted to talk to her about it as well, but he didn't think he could. How did you tell a girl, a girl who was nothing more than a friend, at that, that you'd been fantasizing about possessing her for the past twenty four hours, at least?

Before he could decide whether to leave or to stay, Raven noticed him, turning to face him head on. Her eyes widened a fraction of an inch when she saw him, and she looked down, quickly busying herself with retying her shoes and redoing her ponytail so she didn't have to look at him.

"Oh. Gar. I, uhh, didn't expect you to be here," she said. There was a note of hesitation in her voice and a million thoughts racing through her head. She could feel the same lust as before, toned down exponentially, but still there.

But maybe she was being ridiculous. Gar was a young, handsome guy with animal DNA. He was bound to feel lust at some point, right? She needed to stop blowing everything out of proportion.

"Raven! I, erm, I didn't see you there," he greeted, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. She arched an eyebrow. "I mean, uh, I did. But I didn't expect to see you in here. I can leave."

"No!" Raven said quickly. She hadn't meant to say it like that. She was going to tell him not to leave in an attempt to keep things from becoming tense. "I just mean- we trained together all the time before. It's fine, really. Stay."

Gar gulped, nodding and trying to keep his eyes from dipping below her chin. It was difficult, though, when she was in nothing but a gray tank top and tiny black cotton shorts.

"Alright. Sure. Powerless sparring?" he asked her, stretching out a bit. She nodded and took a drink from her water, shaking out her muscles.

Once they were both ready, they walked over to the section of mats on the floor. Raven hit the button to start the countdown, both of them staying on their toes as the numbers ticked down from five. Both were trying to rid themselves of the same uncertain frustration, and when the buzzer went off, they exploded into action.

Their battle was a mix of things, a clash of polar opposites. It was a train wreck and a dance. It was a car crash in slow motion and an operatic ballad. It was bodies slamming into one another, Gar getting Raven pinned to the mat for less than a second before she was using her knees to push him off of her and vaulting to her feet, rolling the tension from her shoulders. She'd missed this, and she hadn't even known it. She'd missed sparring with him; the feeling of their clashing energies and shared excitement and exhaustion was familiar and comforting.

Gar twisted his neck to the side, popping his joints with loud snaps before refocusing on her. He could almost see her thoughts flying across her face as she planned her next move, and knew that, as good as he was, she was far better at calculations than he was. So instead, he didn't think. He gave in to his animal instincts without shifting. She struck first, sending her right hook straight for his face. He ducked and caught her arm, swinging her over his head and back down towards the mat.

It, of course, wasn't going to be quite that simple. She curled her body to avoid the ground and used her momentum to keep swinging, swiping his legs out from under him and landing on her feet. She dropped, kneeling with a knee on either side of his chest and landing a punch square in his jaw. She was pulling her punches, he knew, but there was still plenty of power behind it, and he reacted before she could get another one in. He used his legs to come up and lock around her torso, rolling her backwards and flipping her around to press her, stomach-down, onto the mat.

"Do you give up yet?" he teased, grinning from above her as he held her arms down.

In response, Raven swung her legs backwards, using her superior flexibility to hook her calves around his throat and roll them the opposite way. She flipped him onto his stomach and popped to her feet, planting one foot squarely in the center of his back. "You wish," she deadpanned, but he could nearly hear the grin in her voice. She was having as much fun as he was. He arched upwards and grabbed her leg, using the force of his weight to propel her forwards. She came out of the tumble by doing a front handspring, then pushed a few stray heirs from her face.

"You're doing something differently," she noted, cocking her head to the side as he got up.

He flashed her a mischievous grin. "Just obeying the beast within."

This time, he moved first, ducking under her defense. He drove his shoulder into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her as he tackled her to the mat. They rolled, warring for dominance. Punches and kicks landed here and there, grunts and obscenities flaying as well. Finally, Gar managed to get Raven under him, hooking his feet behind her knees and pressing her wrists into the ground.

"I do believe this means I win," he mocked, smirking at her.

They were both breathing heavily, their breaths mingling as their chests rose and fell together. His face was inches away from hers, and his laugh died in his throat.

 **Close.**

He could smell her sweat mixing with her natural scent of weathered books and herbal tea. It drifted into his nose and drove him crazy in a way he hadn't expected, and his eyes darkened a bit.

 **So, so close.**

Raven saw the shift as soon as it happened. The strange shift in his eyes, in the way he help his body over hers. She froze for a second, unsure of what to do. He tipped his face down towards hers, his eyelids fluttering shut.

And that's when she blacked out.

* * *

Garfield couldn't remember the last time he'd run like this. He was sprinting, too panicked to even shift, heading to the commons area. Before he even got there, Nightwing, Kid Flash, and Speedy were on their way out, looked concerned and ready.

"What's going on?" Nightwing asked, his stone severe.

Gar swallowed. "It's Raven. We were in the training room, and then- I don't _know_. She just started _glowing._ She felt like she was on fire and then just _nothing_. She was just _gone_ ," he explained. He hadn't even finished talking when Nightwing scooped Raven out of his arms- Gar hardly even remembered picking her up- and was heading back towards the med bay. He began hooking her up to the equipment, propping her head up even as her eyes lolled back in her head.

"Come _on,_ Raven. Work with me here," he hissed beneath his breath, gently poking a needle into the crook of her arm. "Kid, Speedy, go look at the training room. Watch camera feeds, look for clues; just figure out what happened," he ordered, never taking his eyes off of the girl in question.

But even as he spoke, Raven's body had started to glow a soft blue, the heat faded from her skin as she healed herself. Gar could feel the panic rising in his throat as he watched. What had happened to her? He was racking his brain for answered that he didn't know, and getting more frustrated by the second.

"What the hell is going on?" Nightwing asked, both to himself and Gar.

* * *

The vision had hit Raven like a truck.

Maybe vision was the wrong word. The sight, the sensation, the _feeling_ , had hit her like a truck. She had been sparring with Gar, and suddenly she saw him.

Or rather, she _was_ him. She was seeing through his eyes, and the sight made her heart clench. She was in her own room, staring in the mirror. But the face that looked back at her was not her own. it was Adonis, or rather, the Beast, an animal grin on his face and a wicked gleam in his eyes.

It was this that had caused her panic, her blackout. He body, in the weakened state it was in, from both sparring and distance from Adonis, couldn't handle seeing two things at once, and she fainted.

Even as she came to, which she could slowly feel herself doing, she could still see his grinning face in her bedroom mirror, taunting her, teasing her.

He eyes had yet to open, but her brain was forcing her mouth to speak, spewing words forward over those that were already speaking.

"My room!"

The voices went silent, and her eyelids flickered open slowly, focusing around the periwinkle light of her healing herself.

Gar, Nightwing, and Starfire all stood in the med-bay with her, staring at her with concerned expressions.

"Raven? Are you the alright?" Starfire asked tentatively, blinking her wide green eyes.

Raven's body moved on autopilot, pulling out needles and sensors without a second thought. "Adonis is _here_ , and he is _in my room_ ," she seethed. Before anyone else had the opportunity to react, she flicked her hand and vanished, reappearing in her room moments later. He himself wasn't there, but she could still feel his presence, feel it seeping into her skin and momentarily soothing the searing pain of his absence.

She growled in frustration and a light bulb popped, raining broken glass down around her. He was _here_. He had just been there, and she had missed him. By minutes, or maybe mere seconds.

By the time the other three arrived, she was sitting in a heap on the ground, every bulb shattered and her mirror splintered.

"Raven, what the hell is going on?" Nightwing demanded, gesturing to the mess around her. "What do you mean Adonis was here? How did he get in?"

"I don't know!" she exploded. Her mirror cracked a bit more. "But I saw him. I _felt_ him. He was in my room, Nightwing." She could feel her emotions escalating and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself at least a bit. But when she closed her eyes, all she could see was Adonis, looking back at her from the mirror.

"I'm going after him." It wasn't a question, and she wouldn't take no for an answer. Now the hunted was about to become the hunter.

* * *

Author Notes:

Boom! chapter six _done_. And I know that I always say this, but I really am trying to pull it together. But between my classes, musical season, volleyball, and work, it's difficult. Finagling for time to write is a lot more complicated than I had expected it to be, I'll be honest.

BUT, I would love to hear from you guys. Reviews, opinions, constructive criticism, not so constructive criticism; and thing that's on your mind and anything you have to say is welcome here. I think I'm finally getting a shape of how this is going to end, and I'm actually very excited!

Until next time, and always with much love,

~LBB


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